


The Best of Intentions

by nicky_writes, The_Readers_Writer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, F/M, Finnrey, Mentions of Prison, Rey grows into a strong independent badass, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, and Finn deserves the entire world, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-16 01:13:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 38,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicky_writes/pseuds/nicky_writes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Readers_Writer/pseuds/The_Readers_Writer
Summary: Rey has finally ended an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend Ben Solo. Finn has been released from a brief stint in jail. They both need a roommate, a new home, and a fresh start. But maybe they'll find that what they need most is each other.





	1. A New Rey

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaboration between me, nicky_writes, and the beautiful and talented The_Readers_Writer. I will be writing every chapter that's from Rey's point of view, and my lovely friend will be writing all of the Finn chapters. We hope you enjoy this, and if you have any thoughts, ideas, or opinions, feel free to leave a comment. I assure you that they make our day! 
> 
> Also, just as a trigger warning, the first chapter of this fic contains a backstory in which Ben Solo and Rey are dating. However, this is the only mention of the dreaded reylo within this fic. We are both die-hard members of Team Finnrey, and there is no cross-tagging here. This is a finnrey fic just like it says on the tin. 
> 
> Anyways, we do truly hope you enjoy! Thank you all, and be sure to leave those comments.

REY: 

 

A fresh start. Yes, that was what she needed. A fresh start to undo the spiral she’d been travelling down for the past three years. A new home, a new job, a new Rey. Yes, that was exactly what she needed. 

Rey sat with her shoulders slumped, staring down at the black and blue bruises on her forearms and wrists, feeling any optimism from the thought of starting over crumple up within her. How had this happened? What had led her to sitting there on a hotel mattress, looking at the marks the man she’d once loved had left on her skin? Why had the love between them faded until it was twisted into something dark, something that scared her? Ben had said it was her fault that this all had happened. Could that be the truth? 

Rey had noticed Ben acting strangely over the past six months. It had started out simple enough. He spoke a little less kindly to her, was a little bit more rough when he touched her. But it was easy to write that off as stress from his job. Rey had endured it with a smile, telling him that she understood, that it was ok. That they would get through it. 

But then it became harder to understand when things got worse. Ben had always had a temper; they’d met in high school, after all, and even a quiet nerd like Rey who kept to herself had heard of “Kylo’s” reputation for picking fights. But he’d always been nice to her, and she’d been foolish enough to believe that that was all that mattered. 

But the day came when they had their first fight. Shouting matches? Oh, they’d had them. This was something different. Something more ugly, something that frightened her. He’d put his fist through the wall, just inches from her head. And while she stared at him, the color drained from her face while he, too, seemed to come to his senses. He’d pulled away with wide eyes, looking at the hole he’d just left in their wall, and then looking back to her in shock.

That night, he’d held her as she cried, and he was gentle when his body moved with hers under their sheets. She was able to convince herself that this would be the last time something like that happened. But now, on the hotel bed, Rey’s trembling fingers came to rest on her bruised cheek, and for all the love she’d once had for Ben, she wished that she’d left him that night. 

Instead, though, she stayed. She stayed and the fighting continued, and never again did Ben become disgusted with his own actions. He didn’t say he was sorry; he didn’t touch her in any way other than a quick kiss on the cheek when he was in a good mood. And soon, he didn’t punch the drywall anymore. 

Earlier that day, Rey had been surprisingly hopeful. It was the anniversary of the first date they’d had as teenagers, and even though Ben hadn’t seemed to remember that morning, she thought that she could remind him that night with a nice dinner and a relaxing evening in. The past few months had been hell, and she’d been in a constant depressive fog ever since Ben had changed, but today? Today, she had known, would be different. 

She’d been putting the food she’d ordered from the local Italian place onto plates when Ben had come home, slamming the door behind him as he’d had a tendency to do. Taking a deep breath to steal her nerves, Rey had put on a smile and entered the living room, watching as Ben threw himself onto the sofa with a huff. 

“Do you know what today is?” she asked, trying to sound upbeat. 

“I’m not really in the mood to talk right now, Rey,” he’d sighed, brushing his hair back. 

A small spark of indignation flashed from within Rey’s mind, but she pushed it aside, trying not to let her disappointment show through in her voice. 

“I know you must be tired,” she’d tried once more. “But I have a lovely dinner for us. Maybe it’ll help you relax. And it is our anniversary, after all.”

Ben rolled his eyes and finally turned to look at her. 

“It was just when we went on that stupid first date,” he grumbled. “I don’t know why you always make a big deal out of it. Now please, may I sleep?” 

Rey’s smile fell just as fast as her heart did, and her hands balled up into fists at her side.

“No,” she answered, surprising both of them. “Ben, I have tried to be supportive ever since we started dating, and these past months have been hell for me. I think I deserve one quiet night in with a boyfriend who isn’t in a pissy mood for once.”

In a moment, Ben was on his feet, stalking towards her and using his height to his advantage, towering over her. 

“You ‘deserve’?” he scoffed. “I spent all day at work, doing fucking overtime to pay for our house, and you talk about what you deserve? It’s just a dinner!” 

“No it’s not!” she countered. “It is our anniversary, and you’ve never behaved this way before. I hate this! I hate how you’ve acted; I hate how you’ve made me feel. And I’m not going to take it anymore!”

Suddenly, she felt herself being pushed backwards, her shoulders and the back of her head bumping painfully against the wall as her boyfriend kept her pinned by a hand on her throat. Lowering his eyes to be at level with hers, he spat words angrily just inches from her face. 

“You’re not fucking going to go anywhere,” he growled. “You don’t make shit at your job; you’re a fucking wreck who could never manage to take care of herself. And you’ve been with me ever since we graduated high school. You don’t know shit about being on your own.” 

Kicking out with her legs, Rey landed a blow to the inside of one of Ben’s thighs, screaming and wriggling within his grasp to get away. Letting out a pained grunt, his hands moved to her forearms, squeezing them painfully. 

“You fucking bitch!” 

Moving one of his hands away, Rey saw it flying towards her cheek, and she wasn’t even able to let out a yelp before it collided painfully with the skin there. The entire right side of her face stung, and one of her ears were ringing, but she finally went still, eyes closed tightly. 

The room was silent for a long moment, and finally Ben’s hold on her loosened. 

“Rey-” 

Now was her chance. Acting purely on instinct, thinking back to the self-defense classes her dad had made her take in middle school, Rey lashed out, swinging her legs up between them and planting her feet on his chest, kicking him away from her. She listened to the sound of his wheezing as she caught her balance against the wall, finding some satisfaction in his pained expression before swinging again, the toe of her ballet flat driving home against his ribs. 

After a few more kicks, Rey stopped, looking down at the man she’d once loved, curled around himself with his hands on his torso. Good. She wouldn’t be the only one coming away with bruises. 

Wincing at the pain in her cheek, Rey ran into their bedroom and hurriedly packed a bag, grabbing her clothes, her laptop, and her phone with its charger before heading towards the door. When she stepped back into the living room, however, she paused, looking into the kitchen to see Ben still laying on the floor. Hesitating for only a moment, Rey walked past him, grabbing one of the plates on the table and shoving the food back inside of its to-go box before storming out of their apartment. 

And so now she sat in a hotel room, staring down at the ground, absentmindedly picking at the food she’d brought with her. Even though a dull, unfamiliar rage burned inside of her, stewing over the fact that Ben had had the audacity to hit her, she knew the only one she had to blame was herself. She’d seen the signs. Hell, a few weeks ago when she’d gone to the local doctor’s office for a checkup, she’d caught her eyes lingering on one of those “Are You In an Abusive Relationship” pamphlets. But she’d truly thought they were going to get through it. 

But it was obvious now that they couldn’t, and the words Ben had said to her echoed in her brain. ‘You don’t know shit about being on your own.’ He’d been right, of course; she’d lived with her father for 18 years before moving in with Ben. Maybe that had been why she’d stayed so long - because, if she didn’t have Ben, what did she have?

She hadn’t had him for a while, though, and now she knew that she had to figure out how to be alone. She wouldn’t go back to him, and she would never be with someone who made her feel that way again. No, she wasn’t going to be weak anymore. 

A new start, a new Rey. 

Pulling her laptop out of her knapsack, she opened it up and went to the first place she thought of - Craigslist. On a whim, she typed in ‘apartment’ and looked over the most recent postings, and it wasn’t long before she saw one that caught her eye. 

“I’ve recently found an apartment that’s nice and in a good part of town, but the rent is a little steep for me to cover on my own. So I’m looking for a roommate. Here are some pictures of the place; if you’re interested and have any questions, please call this number.” 

Rey scrolled down the page, seeing the pictures the person had included. Admittedly, it was nice. Not as big as the home she’d shared with Ben, but it was cozy. It even had a fireplace, and the complex it was in had a pool. Seeing the phone number the post had mentioned, she brought out her phone and punched it in, closing her eyes before hitting the green call button. 

This was her next beginning.


	2. Copy and Paste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, a quiet somewhat shy guy who has a past he'd rather forget, places an add on Craigslist for an apartment roommate. To which quickly gets answered much to his delight. Even more so to his delight, when he discovers that the person who answered the ad happens to be a certain beautiful brunette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello folks!! :)) it is I The_Readers_Writer. And as you were told by the fabulous nicky_writes, I will taking over this chapter and writing from Finn's point of view. 
> 
> Just to reiterate, she and I are NOT writing a Reylo story. We are both team Finnrey. So unfortunately if that is what you came here for, you won't find it.
> 
> As always, y'all enjoy:))

FINN:

 

 

Finn drummed his fingers against the table that his laptop was sitting on. He was making an effort to figure out what exactly to write when uploading his ad to Craigslist in search of a roommate.

Yes, he would be requesting in his ad for a complete stranger to share the living quarters he had found, so he tried as best as he could to sound professional and not just type anything so as to not attract the wrong kind of person, and so that anyone who was looking would immediately be put at ease. 

"Hmm" he said to himself. 

He began typing a couple of rough draft sentences that he quickly erased, before eventually deciding on:

_'I've recently found an apartment that's nice and in a good part of town, but the rent is a little steep for me to cover on my own. So I'm looking for a roommate. Here are some pictures of the place; if you're interested and have any questions, please call this number."_

Satisfied with what he had written, he quickly hit the 'post' button. 

Finn scooted his chair from underneath the table before closing the screen on his laptop. He grabbed his keys and his wallet then shoved them in his pocket as he walked to the door. Opening it, walking through it, then shutting it behind him. While inside he had tried to remain as quiet as possible, so he closed the door with ease, trying to exit just as quietly. Since he had to be up and out the door at the crack of dawn, waking up the fellow occupants, Poe and Jessika, was one thing he did not wish to do. 

Poe Dameron, Finn's best friend had been there from the beginning and was the only person who he told about his 'situation.' The situation in which prevented Finn from moving back into his own apartment, going back to his job which paid exceedingly well, and living the life that he had built for himself all by himself. 

As Finn began walking down the stairs and out the building, his mind went back to the night he had asked Poe for an enormous favor.

"Poe...please. I've got no where else to go. After all of the legal fees I had to pay for, which ended up doing me no good, I've got less that four hundred dollars in my bank account and no job."

Once the situation at hand was dealt with, Finn begged his manager for his old job back, but his manager claimed that because of what had happened there would be certain issues prohibiting that. 

"Buddy, buddy, BUDDY!" Poe yelled at Finn in an attempt to stop his ramblings. "You don't even need to ask" he said with a smile. 

Finn gave Poe a smile back, feeling himself breath a bit easier than he had been since this whole mess had happened. 

So the  _enormous_ favor Finn had asked of Poe was to move in with Poe and his girlfriend Jessika just until he could get on his feet again and find a place to live on his own. Once he was set, and accumulated a bit of savings, Finn instructed Poe that he would pay all of the rent money back to the two of them, depending on how many months he ended up staying. 

Poe and Jessika both told Finn that there was no need to pay them back, and that they were both just trying to help their friend out. But Finn was very adamant about paying them back every single penny that was owed. 

Finn smiled to himself as he finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, and walked out the door on the side of the building. Despite how much trouble the whole mess caused, he knew that he would always be able to depend on his friends. 

On the walk to work, Finn kept his hands in his pockets. It was a cold autumn morning and the sun wasn't even up yet. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been a problem due to the fact that he could've driven to work, had he not missed his car payments, and had the car repossessed. While on the phone with an insurance representative Finn desperately tried to explain why he had been late on payments, and was met with the snide remark, "Well sir, that's what happens when you get arrested." Finn was upset already, borderline angry after he heard that. 

Everything that he had been working towards ever since he moved out of his parents house was quickly being snatched away from him. He worked hard to find a good job for himself that he no longer could continue to work at since anyone with a  _record_ was deemed unfit for the job. His nice car that he had saved, and saved, and saved up for had been towed away since he couldn't make the payments while incarcerated. And finally not only was his savings nearly depleted for trying to get the very best lawyer for himself, he ended up loosing the case anyway, and now having no savings to continue to pay the rent in the townhome that he lived in. The whole thing was a nightmare to him. A nightmare that he was slowly but surely trying to dig himself out of. 

The double doors of the hospital Finn walked into parted for him as he was finally able to remove his hands from his pockets no longer feeling the chill in the air from outside. He walked past the receptionist giving her a friendly smile like he did every morning, and then made his way towards the janitor station. He removed his brown coat, hanging it up before walking back over to punch in for the day. He began to run hot water in the mop bucket he planned using for the day, then checked his clipboard. He discovered that rooms two, seven and seventeen needed to mopped on the fourth floor. And that rooms nine, fifteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, and thirty-one needed to be mopped on the seventh floor. By the time he was done with those rooms, he was sure that he would have more work to do afterwards, as people were constantly checking out, switching rooms, as was surgery happening in the operating rooms. 

He began to add the various soaps and disinfectants that were needed to mix with the water and then selected a mop for himself. He was about to put his gloves on when he felt his phone go off in his pocket.

 _'Who in the world would be calling me this early in the morning?'_ he thought to himself. 

Still holding the mop in one hand, he removed his phone from his pocket and saw a number he didn't recognize. He thought to himself that it might be a bill collector or someone of that nature, and thought to place the phone back in his pocket, figuring if it's that important that they'll leave a message. But then thought to himself,  _'I better go ahead and get this call out of the way so they won't end up calling me every hour and a half.'_

"Hello" he said. 

No answer.

"Hello" he repeated himself a little louder, worried that maybe the person on the other line couldn't hear him.

For several seconds Finn heard nothing at all, until a frail sounding voice came through the line.

"Um...yes, I um..." the voice said.

"Hello" Finn repeated yet again. The janitors closet was well known for not having a good connection, so that's what he began to assume, just a bad connection.

He began to move around before the voice spoke up again. 

"Hello yes, I'm looking for Mr. Calrissian" the voice said.

"This is he" Finn said back.

"Oh hello. I really do regret calling so early, it's just that I saw your ad 'Roommate wanted' and am really in need of a new place to live. So I figured I'd call early to ensure that I was the first person you'd talk to" the voice said next.

"Really ma'am it's fine. I'm already up and at work, so I assure you, you didn't wake me up or anything" Finn said smiling to himself, quickly becoming excited that his ad had the potential to be answered so quickly.

"Oh, and by the way" Finn said. "Who am I speaking with?" he asked.

The voice on the other end of the phone simply stated. "I'm Rey."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want y'all to think that I'm being big headed or anything like that. But this is my first collaboration piece, and I think I did a really good job on it :D
> 
> But me and nicky_writes would like too know what y'all think to. Any suggestions or comments are more than welcome :))


	3. Coffee Date With A Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey! It's nicky_writes here! I hope everyone likes this third installment. As always, let me know how I did, and as a side note, I apologize for this chapter being so long! I just couldn't stop writing it.

REY 

 

“Rey,” the deep voice over the phone repeated. “Nice to meet you, Rey. I’m glad you’re interested in the ad.” 

“Yes, well, I’m glad I found it,” Rey answered, her fingers twisting the fabric of her shirt nervously. She’d seen the ad hours ago, and ever since she’d been staring at the pictures of it Finn had posted. She’d even googled the area it was in, finding that Mr. Calrissian had been right when he said it was in a nice part of town. Something within her had kept saying that it was the right place to go, and so she’d called. 

“I actually have some questions I’d like to ask you about it,” she continued. “But you mentioned you were at work? Maybe we could meet for coffee sometime and discuss it?” 

“That sounds perfect,” Finn replied. “I actually get off work around 4 today. Do you live near Coruscant Central Hospital?” 

Rey’s eyebrows shot up when she heard that. He worked at the hospital? She was impressed. Once upon a time she’d wanted to become a surgeon tech herself, and as it was she did technically work in healthcare. She already had something in common with this potential roommate. 

“I live about 20 minutes away,” she answered. 

“Would you like to meet at the Starbucks across the street from it? Or is it too much of a commute? I could meet you somewhere closer, if-”

“No, no,” Rey interrupted him. “That sounds great! It’s truly no problem. I’ll plan on meeting you around 4:15 then, if that’s alright.” 

“Sounds good. Thank you so much for your call, Rey.” 

A smile came to her lips upon hearing the genuine gratitude in his voice, and she felt a small, tiny bit of the load on her shoulders lighten - it was the first time she’d smiled since storming out of her and Ben’s old house. 

“Thank you too, Finn. Goodbye.” 

“Bye!”

With that, Rey hung up and stood from the bed, stretching out her muscles. As she felt her back pop, sore from sitting for so long, she hoped that her coffee date with the stranger would go well. Maybe, just maybe, she’d already found a new home. 

_________

“Shit, shit, shit…” 

Rey curse under her breath as she pulled into the parking spot outside of Starbucks. She’d spent the day showering and camping outside of her old house, watching the front door. She had never had very many possessions, but she did have a wardrobe and several books still at Ben’s place. (She’d have to get used to thinking of it as that - not ‘her’ house, not ‘theirs’. His.) 

It had taken her ex longer than she’d thought to leave - it was his day off, and for the past few months he would always leave around 2 to go God-knows-where on the days he didn’t work. Today, though, of all days, he decided to linger around until 3, giving Rey only an hour to pack away all of her things into the biggest suitcase she had and load it up into her old, beaten-up Toyota. Then, she’d had to drive into the inner city, weaving through traffic and taking all of the shortcuts she’d discovered as a teenager when she was just starting to learn how to drive. 

Letting out a huff of air, she now pulled the car into park and leapt out of it, pushing back some fly-away hairs that had managed to fall out of her bun and grabbing her purse before speed-walking towards the doors of the coffee shop. 

As she was approaching the entrance, she saw an equally hurried man walking towards it from the opposite direction. He had dark skin and a worn leather jacket on, and even though he looked frazzled, he paused when he saw her and opened the store’s door, smiling and motioning her to go in first. 

“Thank you,” she told him. 

“No problem,” he responded from behind her, following her towards the cash register. She thought that he sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on where she’d heard his voice before. 

Shaking her head, she stood behind the person who was currently placing their order, letting her eyes wander the shop for anyone who could potentially be Finn. There was one man sat in the corner, reading a book and sipping from his drink. Maybe that was him. Or there, on the sofa, there was a younger couple sitting close together. The girl was laughing at something her boyfriend was saying; maybe he’d been Finn, and he had just happened to bring his girlfriend with him to meet her. 

“Ma’am?” 

Looking up, she saw the barista watching her expectantly, and she realized that it was now her turn to order. 

“Oh! Sorry; I’m so sorry,” she stuttered, stepping forward. “Um… I’ll have a medium matcha frappuccino, please.” 

“Ok,” the employee said, typing something into her computer. “Can I get a name for that order?” 

“I’m Rey,” she answered, not seeing how the stranger behind her arched his eyebrows in surprise. All she heard was him clear his throat and walk forward to stand next to her. 

“Actually, add an Americano to that order and make it for ‘Finn’,” he said, handing over a credit card to the cashier. Rey shook her head and tried to take the card to give it back to him, surprised to say the least. 

“No, that’s really not necessar- Wait. You’re Finn?” she asked. 

The man smiled and nodded his head, holding out a hand. 

“That’s me. I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but you did say you were Rey, right?” 

“Yes,” she answered, smiling and giving him a firm handshake. Her father hadn’t taught her a lot, but one of the things he’d always said was that you could tell a lot about someone by their handshake, and she wanted to make a good first impression with the person she might end up living with. 

“Well it’s really nice to meet you. In person, this time,” he added, still holding onto her hand as he smiled at her. 

“Yes! I agree. It’s nice to be able to put a face to your name,” she said. For a second, they both stood there awkwardly, hand in hand, until the cashier gave him back his card. Blushing and dropping his hand, Rey crossed her arms and walked with him to the end of the bar to wait for their drinks. 

“So you mentioned you had a few questions for me?” Finn asked, and Rey nodded, fishing through her purse to find her journal. 

“I do; I actually wrote them down to make sure I remembered to ask all of them,” she said, flipping hurriedly through her diary entries to find her list. Furrowing her eyebrows, she squinted over the page, chewing on her lip absentmindedly and playing with her sleeve as she read them over. 

“Well, the first and most obvious question - how much would rent be?” 

“It’s about 750 a month, so split between us it would be around 375,” Finn answered. 

“Huh,” Rey murmured, scribbling that down in her book with a pen she’d dug out of her pocket. “That’s very reasonable.” 

“Yeah. The apartment is pretty small, so most of that is just location,” Finn mused, taking their drinks when the barista brought them over. “Here’s your drink, by the way. Is that supposed to be green?” 

Rey laughed a bit and nodded, taking her drink from him. 

“Thank you. And yes, it’s supposed to be green. Don’t you know what matcha is?” 

“...Should I?”

“Well it’s been pretty popular here recently.” 

“Oh. I must have missed that,” he muttered, taking a sip of his drink. 

“Have you been away travelling?” 

Finn’s eyes widened, and he gulped his drink down, nodding his head quickly. 

“Yeah, uh… I’ve been travelling for the last few months. Anyways, next question?” 

“Oh, of course. How big is the house, and what are the rooms like? I saw that there were two bedrooms and one bath; would you be comfortable with sharing the washroom?” 

“Yeah! Totally. I grew up in a relatively large family, so I’m used to it. And the bedrooms are on opposite sides of the apartment, so it’ll give us plenty of privacy. Oh, and it’s about 800 square feet.” 

“Alright. That sounds good,” she murmured. Scratching absentmindedly at her wrist with one hand as the other wrote that information down, she didn’t notice how the bruises there had become visible from under her sleeve until she glanced up to see Finn looking at them, a small, worried frown line forming between his eyes over the bridge of his nose. 

Gulping, Rey adjusted her sleeve, suddenly very much aware of how she must look. Bruises on her wrist and on her face, paired with the sudden need to find a new home? It didn’t look good. And while she’d tried to cover up the bruise on her cheek, she knew that it was still visible; she’d always struggled with makeup, seeing whereas her father certainly wasn’t going to teach her. 

Rey cleared her throat, and Finn’s eyes leapt back to hers. A small part of her chest ached when she saw a glimmer of pity there, but before she could explain the bruises away by saying she’d tripped while hiking or something, he interrupted her thoughts. 

“The apartment is in a gated community, too,” he went on, changing the subject. “So there’s no need to worry about safety or anything. No one gets in without going through the guard shack. ...Plus, there’s a pool!” 

Rey’s lips twitched up into a smile, feeling immense gratitude towards him. It was clear that he knew something was up, but he didn’t know exactly what it was, and he wasn’t going to ask, a fact which impressed Rey immensely. 

“A pool would be very nice,” she answered. “What about a washing and drying machine?” 

“There’s a little laundry room in the front building of the complex; not convenient, I know, but I think it’s worth it for what you’re getting with the rest of the place.” 

With that, the two of them continued on - Rey asked the questions, Finn responded to them, and she wrote them down, squinting at her journal all the while. And once she finally was writing down the answer to the last question, he asked her something that didn’t have to do with the apartment. 

“Hey, I notice you’re straining your eyes a lot. Do you need glasses or something?” 

“Oh.” Rey straightened up, surprised he’d caught that. “Erm… Yes, I have reading glasses, but I don’t wear them a lot. I’m always losing them, you see.” 

The truth was that Ben had always teased her when she’d wear them, and so she’d gradually stopped using them while other people were around, not wanting to look ‘like a dork’, as he’d termed it. But her explanation seemed to satisfy Finn. 

“Oh, I understand. My sister is the same way; she wears one of those loops around her neck to make sure she always knows where they are.” 

Rey smiled and took the last sip of her drink. It as well as the sun had sunk down to a lower level than she’d expected; time had flown by as she spoke with Finn. Now, all of her questions were answered, and she was left sitting with this kind man she’d stumbled across. 

“You mentioned you have a big family. How many siblings do you have?” she asked. “If that’s not too personal to ask.” 

“Not at all! I have 4 siblings. Three sisters, one brother.”

 

“I always wanted to have siblings,” Rey mused, smiling down at her cup as she traced patterns into the thin leftover film of whipped cream at its bottom. 

“Well, while we didn’t always get along, I still wouldn’t trade them for anything,” Finn said. 

“Do they live in the area?” 

“They do! I grew up around here. Ahsoka, actually, will be living just about 5 minutes away from us. If we get this apartment, that is.” 

Rey paused at that, looking up at him. The apartment checked out - everything about it seemed obtainable and lovely. And he seemed to be wonderful, though she knew first impressions couldn’t always be trusted. 

“I really like the apartment, Finn,” she stated, “And you seem like a lovely person. I’m very interested in doing this. Would it be ok if I got back to you tomorrow evening after I’ve thought about it?” 

“That would be awesome,” he nodded hurriedly. “Yeah, of course. Think about it for as long as you need and just get back to me whenever you’ve made up your mind. No rush!” 

“Alright. Thank you, Finn. For the coffee as well as… Well, everything. You have my number from earlier when I called, right?” 

“I sure do.” 

“Perfect. In that case, I’d better be getting back home, then,” Rey said, though she knew very well that she was only going to get chinese takeout and then crash at her hotel room. 

“Alright! Have a good night, Rey,” Finn said, patting her shoulder as he stood up. His hand, she noticed, felt warm through her cardigan, and she flashed him one last smile before gathering her things and walking out into the chill of the night. 

As she drove towards her favorite chinese restaurant that night, she smiled and tried to picture what life would be like in her tiny apartment with Finn. 

And, she decided, it sounded like it would be exactly what she needed. 

___________

Rey had always kept to herself. As a little girl, it had been hard for her to make friends, and once she met Ben, she hadn’t felt the need to have anyone else in her life. Now, though, that Ben was out of her life, she felt like she was on her own. Her father had been estranged from her for as long as she could remember - there to pay for groceries and clothes and whatnot, but never there to ask her how her day had been, or if she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. 

There was one person who Rey had found herself drawn to, though, and she’d met her at work. Rey had worked as a receptionist for a nursing home ever since she’d graduated, and one of the residents there had quickly become her closest friend. She always had sage advice to offer, and she always knew exactly what to say to make Rey feel better. 

If there was anyone she was going to ask for advice on whether or not to move in with Finn, it would be Maz. 

And so, the next day she went into work, she took her lunch break at twelve and made her familiar way towards the old woman’s room, knocking lightly on its open door. 

“Maz? May I-”

“You always ask if you can come in,” the elderly woman said, looking away from the open book on her lap to peer at Rey through thick-rimmed glasses. “And always I say to come in. Come, my girl, sit.” 

With that, Maz gestured toward the end of her bed, folding down the corner of the page she’d currently been reading. Rey had always brought Maz whatever book she wanted to read from “the outside”, as her friend termed it, and more often than not she found herself bringing in cheesy, steamy romance novels from her grocery store’s small book isle. They were Maz’s favorites, even though they all made Rey blush if she happened to open it on one of the more...passionate scenes. 

“What is on your mind, Rey?” she asked, setting her dark, weathered hand on the girl’s knee. “I can always tell when something is bothering you.” 

Taking a bite of her sandwich, Rey looked down at the floor, knowing that she would have to tell Maz about Ben at some point or the other. She just didn’t want her to think Rey was a fool; after all, Maz had always said that she didn’t trust Ben, even though he’d never come in to meet her. She’d made all of her assumptions based on how Rey had described him, but clearly she’d seen something Rey had failed to. 

Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves to tell the ugly tale, but she was beaten to the punch. 

“Let me guess: that Solo boy finally messed up.” 

It was all Rey could do to swallow her food and keep her jaw from dropping. 

“How did you know?!”

 

A wry grin came to Maz’s face. 

“Come now, dear. You know I have my ways.”

Rey sighed and nodded. 

“I know. I just...feel like such a fool.” 

“Well, I wish I could pat your cheek and tell you that you weren’t one, but the fact is that Ben was always trouble. But love has a way of blinding the ones it’s used to hurt. Anyways, love, this is an opportunity to go out there and seize your life without letting that beast drag you down.” 

“I wish I could feel as confident as you about that,” Rey muttered. 

“My dear, once you get to be 97 years old, you’ll feel confident about everything,” Maz said. She leaned in and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “I even flirted with one of the new nurses here. Have you seen that man?!” 

A laugh burst out of Rey’s lips, and she had to lower her voice into a giggle so as not to disturb any of the other patients living nearby. 

“There is that smile,” Maz grinned. “You know, the first thing I liked about you was your smile. Brighter than the sun shining on the snow of Siberia.” 

Maz had travelled the world from the age of 5, and Rey always loved to hear about her stories. One time, the old woman had shown her a tattoo she’d gotten on her back in her 50s. It was of a map of the world, and it stretched across her shoulders. Maz had said she’d gotten it to show that she could carry the weight of the world and the things she’d seen within it while still holding her head high. After that, Rey had been constantly pestering the woman to hear about stories of her adventures. 

Before she could ask about Siberia, though, Maz asked her something once more. 

“There’s something else, though,” the woman mused. “Something you still want to tell me. What is it?” 

“Well… I think I might have already found a place to live,” Rey said. She quickly explained the ad she’d seen and told Maz about meeting Finn the day before. 

“I know that it’s soon and that he’s a stranger,” Rey finished, “But there’s something in him that makes me trust him. I… I really think that this is where I begin my fresh start, but I need your advice on whether or not I’m rushing into this.” 

For a long moment, Maz was quiet, contemplating everything Rey had said. 

“This boy, Finn. Tell me about him.” 

“Well,” Rey sighed, thinking back to the man who she wanted to live with, “He comes from a large family, and you can tell that he holds them in high regard. He bought me coffee, so he seems generous, and he held the door open for me, so I assume he has manners.” 

Rey paused, thinking of how to word the most important thing she’d noticed. 

“And… what really stood out to me were his eyes. He had such kind eyes, Maz. They held no judgement, just...understanding. Understanding of things he had no idea I’d been through. It was like he didn’t need to know my story to empathize with it.” 

Maz paused at this, the jovial look on her face gone, replaced by one of contemplation. 

“You know…” she finally said. “If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people. I’ve seen eyes like the ones you’ve described, and while my life has had its fair share of regrets, none of them have come from the people with those kind eyes.  
“Move in with him,” she abruptly instructed Rey. “It is impulsive, but I’ve heard all I need to hear. And you know you can trust me, because-”

“You’re too old to be wrong about these things,” Rey finished for her. “You always say that when you give me advice.” 

“Because it’s true! Now, eat your lunch quickly so you can call that boy and tell him you’ll take him up on his offer.” 

And without hesitation, Rey did just that.


	4. Call Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn waits for the call that will determine his future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEHOLD!! I bring you chapter 4!!
> 
> y'all enjoy:))

FINN

 

 

The following day was a pretty ordinary one for Finn. He woke up, got dressed, went to work, came home, showered and had dinner with his roommates. 

 _However,_ there was one big difference throughout the entirety of the day, and that was Finn's incessant need to check his phone every three seconds. (No exaggeration. Every. Three. Seconds.)

Only this time, he wasn't checking for an email regarding Craigslist. He was checking his phone for a missed call, even though his phone wasn't on vibrate and the volume was turned all the way up, so it's not likely that he would miss a call...he was just checking. Or for a text message, from a certain someone. 

That day, the day that he met her at the coffee shop, as soon as she walked out Finn immediately went through his contacts underneath received calls. He recalled with perfect detail that Rey had called him right after he had clocked in that day, so it would've been the only number that didn't have a name that was somewhere between the time of five and five fifteen a.m. 

 _"Are you sure you wish to save this contact?"_ Siri had asked him.

"Yes" he said back into his phone with a smile on his face. 

Ever since then, even though she had told him that she would need to think about it and would get back with him the following evening, he had been willing his phone to ring. Wanting so badly for those three little letters to pop up on his screen, and for the lovely voice that possessed a beautiful English accent to tell him 'yes' that she would love to move in with him. 

After dinner, Finn offered to do the dishes for his roommates. Jessika tried to intervene and do them herself, due to the fact that Finn did them every night. But Finn stood his ground. "It's okay Jess, really. This is one of my ways of carrying my weight around here, and paying you guys back" he said smiling to her. She smiled back and him and walked away, making her way into the living room. Finn continued loading the dishwasher, then began to hand wash the remaining dishes that were left over. Poe approached him a short while later, and gently slapped Finn on his shoulder. 

"Need a dryer?" he asked playfully. 

Finn smiled at Poe, before telling him the same thing he had told Jessika. 

"Really man, you can go and watch the movie with Jess, it's not a problem" Finn said. 

"Ehh, it's alright Finn. You wash, I'll dry. That way while I'm standing here, you can tell me why you keep looking at your phone every two seconds" he said. 

Finn tried to hide his smile. He hadn't realized he was obsessing over his phone to the point where it was becoming obvious for someone else to notice.

"Well..." he began. "It's definitely good news, so don't worry" he said. 

Poe bumped shoulders with Finn. "Aww come on buddy, don't leave me hanging. What happened?" he asked.

"I think I finally found a potential roommate" Finn said, probably looking as giddy as he felt. Even though he more than likely wasn't taking into account that not only did he have a potential roommate he was waiting on a call from, but also because this potential roommate was a very pretty brunette that he was smitten for. 

"That's great buddy!" Poe exclaimed. Clapping his wet hand against Finn's shoulder yet again. 

Finn smiled, while he finished scrubbing the last dish in the sink clean. He nodded his head in agreement with Poe before saying, "Yeah, I got a phone call after I went to work yesterday. The next thing I knew we were setting up a meeting time and place to go over a few things. While we were there I answered some typical questions anybody would wanna know, but I really think she's gonna call back so. I..."

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Poe interrupted. " _She?"_ Poe asked, repeating Finn just to make sure he had heard correctly. 

Finn handed the dish to Poe before saying, "Well...yeah,  _she_ " he said simply, not seeing what the point Poe was trying to drive at. 

"Hmm..." Poe said drying the dish off. "That's a little odd."

"How so?" Finn asked.

"Well, the only time I can recall a girl wanting to room with a guy is if they already know each other" Poe said. 

Finn nodded his head, now understanding where Poe was coming from. "Oh. I see what you mean" he said. "But I tried my hardest to put her at ease, ya know?" Finn continued. "I think I might have been a little overly anal about how I typed up the ad on Craigslist, so whoever ended up reading it wouldn't think that I'm some weirdo. I opened the door for her when we met, and I bought her coffee. Hopefully by doing all that stuff, she'll know that I'm not a bad guy looking for trouble or anything, and that I have manners."

"Did you tell her about your stretch?" Poe asked hesitantly.

Finn shook his head. "Is it bad, that I feel like it's on a  _need to know_ basis?" he asked. "I mean, I'd probably never find a roommate if I told them about that the first time I met them. And even if I did find someone who was interested and waited for them to sign the lease,  _then_ told them, I'd kinda feel like I was trapping or tricking them." 

Poe shook his head. "I don't think that it's a bad thing at all. You're absolutely right. We all make mistakes, but I know you Finn. I know that you are a good person, and shouldn't have to be brought down for the rest of your life because of a mistake you made a long time ago."

Finn smiled as he patted Poe's shoulder a few times. "I mean...maybe, as time goes by and she gets to know me a little bit better, I'll tell her. And hopefully she won't judge me for it" he said. 

"If she gets to know you at all, I'm sure she wouldn't. Everybody who spends even ten minuets with you can tell that you're a good guy Finn" Poe said.

As soon as Poe finished his sentence, Finn's phone went off. Finn nearly dove for his phone, before Poe teasingly snatched it away, and held it over his head.

"Aww come on man!! Give it here!!" Finn yelled, finally getting his hands on his phone and discovering the name that had popped up.

Finn's eyes lit up, as he took a deep breath and slid his finger over the screen of the phone in order to take the call.

"Hello?" Finn said, trying to sound nonchalant. As if waiting for her phone call all day wasn't killing him.

"Hi Finn. It's Rey" she said. 

"Hi Rey, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm doing fine, and yourself?" she asked back.

"Well I'd be doing great if you're calling to tell me that you and I are going to be new roommates" he said hopefully.

"Well then do I have some good news for you" Rey said back laughing over the phone. 

Finn tried with all of his might not to scream into the phone. He was so happy and excited that  _finally_ he'd be able to begin to get his life back on track. He looked at Poe and gave him a thumbs up, even though Poe could probably put two and two together because of the enormously goofy grin Finn was wearing that looked as though it might threaten to tear his face in half. 

"Alright!" Finn said pumping his fist in the air. "So do you have an ETA on when you'd like to go over to the complex and sign the lease with me?" he asked. 

"How about this Saturday?" Rey suggested. "I work during the day, and at night I'm going to be trying to figure out a way to get all of my stuff ready for moving. So that gives us three days before we sign, does that sound okay?" she asked. 

"Saturday sounds perfect. Around 1ish?" Finn asked.

"Saturday at 1, I'll see you then" Rey said. 

"Okay great! Bye Rey" Finn said smiling. 

"Bye Finn" Rey said before hanging up the phone.

"Yes!!!" Finn cheered. "Yesyesyesyesyeysysyesyesyesyesyeysssss!!!!!!!!!" Finn said as he paraded around the apartment, now pumping both of his fists in the air because he didn't have to hold the phone to his ear anymore. 

"Alright, alright, alright!! Lease signing shall commence this Saturday afternoon!" Finn yelled. 

Poe smiled at him before saying, "I guess you did manage to put her at ease. I've never met someone who was willing to move in with someone they don't know so quickly" he said.

"Well..." Finn thought back for a moment. Remembering a tiny detail he had stored in the back of his mind that day at the coffee shop. As Rey was writing down all of the answers to the questions she had asked, he saw her sleeve ride just high enough for him to discover that there was a brand new bruise hiding on her wrist. Had it been an accident or something, he was sure that she wouldn't have tried so adamantly to hide it from him. And as he thought about it a little longer, the wheels started turning in his head. Needing a new place to live in a very urgent sense, seemingly relieved when he informed her that the complex was gated, and hidden injuries. 

"I think she's so quick to leave the place that she's at right now because there might be ' _something'_ going on where she is now" Finn explained.

Poe quirked his brow, not fully understanding Finn's response. "What do you mean?" he asked. 

"I..." Finn stopped talking. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the right words to say without it feeling like he was betraying Rey's privacy. 

"She had a bruise on her wrist..."he said. 

"And one that looked like it was fading on her face" Finn said. He looked up at Poe, who was no longer smiling, and no longer looked dubious. His expressions where now replaced with sternness and concern. 

"Finn..." he said shaking his head. 

"I know, I know" Finn said holding his hand up, already knowing what Poe was going to say. 

"Finn" he repeated himself. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if that is the case, you make sure you stay out of it" he said before Finn cut him off.

"Okay..." Finn said.

"No! Poe shouted loud enough to even get Jessika's attention, noticing how she turned around to look towards them instead of watching her movie. 

"Stay out of it Finn" Poe repeated himself placing his hands on Finn's shoulders.

Finn looked up at Poe. He knew his friend wasn't angry or upset with him, just concerned, not wanting him to get in trouble again.

"You remember what happened the last time" Poe said.

Finn nodded his head, remembering in vivid detail what happened in that moment that tore his life apart, when he  _didn't_ stay out of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sooooo very much for all the comments of encouragement. All of y'all have been saying 'keep writing, I love this story.' And some of y'all have even said we can contact you if we hit a road bump. All of y'all really are the best, and nicky_writes and I really appreciate it:)))


	5. A Spoiled Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: There are strong themes of abuse and manipulation in this chapter. But I promise that there are better days on the horizon! -nicky_writes

When Rey drove past the guard shack outside of the apartment complex she would soon call home, she had to fight down the urge to let a huge, happy grin spread over her cheeks. Even with all of her efforts, she still had a wide smile as she hopped out of her car and made her way into the development’s main building. She’d done her research, and as it turned out, the visitor’s center housed a small gym and a room that was filled with coin-operated washing and drying machines. And, Rey noticed as she walked towards a room designated for lease-signings, a row of vending machines tucked into the corner that she knew she’d be a frequent patron of. 

As Rey found her way into the conference room, she saw an equally-eager looking Finn sat in a chair at the far end of the large oval table, tapping his foot and drumming his fingers against the wood’s surface. Upon hearing Rey approach, his head shot up and a dazzling grin came over his features. 

“Hey, there, roomie,” he greeted, straightening his posture. “Are you as excited as I am?” 

“I stayed up all last night,” she answered, taking a seat at his left. “I kept thinking about decorating the apartment and using the swimming pool here.” 

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” Finn laughed. “I called my oldest sister up at midnight because I was too wired.” 

“Oh. Did she appreciate that?” 

“Ahsoka keeps weird hours; she was already up anyways,” Finn explained. “Actually-”

He was interrupted when a tall woman wearing a silver pantsuit walked in, her short blonde hair curled in soft waves and her lipstick a dark burgundy. 

“Hello,” she greeted in an accent not too different from Rey’s. “Are you Mr. and Mrs. Calrissian?” 

A blush came over both Finn and Rey’s cheeks, and both of them stuttered over one another to try and correct the woman’s mistake. 

“N-no; we’re not-”

“My last name is Skywalker-” 

“We’re not married,” the two of them said at once, causing an amused smirk to come to the blonde’s lips. 

“Oh, alright. In any case, my name is Gwendolyn, and I’m going to be going over your lease agreement with you both today. We’re so excited to have you here.” 

Something about the woman’s tone made Rey think she was less happy and more apathetic about their decision to move in, but either way she smiled back and nodded, shaking Gwendolyn’s hand when it was offered to her. 

“I’m Rey,” she greeted. 

“And I’m Finn,” her roommate added, also shaking the lady’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you both. Now, if it’s alright with you two, let’s just jump right in.” 

With that, they were handed a short stack of papers, a copy of which Gwendolyn had in a tidy folder she held in her lap. Rey scooted her chair closer to Finn’s and leaned close to him, squinting her eyes to see the forms. She really should have brought her reading glasses with her; she hadn’t even thought to bring them when she’d left her hotel that morning. Finn didn’t seem to mind, though. 

After listening to Gwendolyn talk for a bit longer, they were each handed a pen and asked to sign the documents before them. Rey, feeling a swarm of butterflies take flight somewhere in her abdomen, signed each blank line quickly. Finn, though, took his time to read over everything, making sure of what he was signing, leaving Rey to awkwardly watch him after she’d handed her forms back to Gwendolyn. 

She noticed that he was wearing the same leather jacket he’d been wearing the first time they’d met, only this time there was a gray shirt underneath it. Looking down to where his foot was still tapping, she noticed that his boots looked worn, but they were still very clean. She smiled at that - Finn must be the type to take care of his possessions then. A good quality in a roommate, she thought. 

“Alright, I’m done,” he announced, drawing her attention away from his feet. He smiled and handed over his stack, and Gwendolyn all but leapt out of her chair. 

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Well, I have to get these in the system, but if you’ll follow me to the front desk, we can get you your keys. Each of you will get one, and you’re allowed to make one spare copy should the need arise.” 

With that, she strutted out of the door, leaving Finn and Rey to hurry to catch up with her. 

“She seems to be in a hurry,” Finn whispered to Rey. 

“Maybe she’s just a busy person?” she questioned back. They shared a smile before turning to the front desk, where Gwen was being handed two keys from the woman sitting behind it. 

“And here you are!” 

With that, they were each handed a key and given a pat on the shoulder. 

“Welcome once again! If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head back to my office, but if either of you ever have any questions, feel free to stop by or leave me a voicemail.” 

They each received a business card from the woman’s pocket, and they looked down to see ‘Gwendolyn Phasma - Coruscant Villas Management’ written on them in bold font, followed by an email address and phone number. 

“Thank you,” Finn said, but when they looked up, she was already walking down a nearby hallway. 

“...She’s very strange,” Rey observed after a long silence. 

“Yeah. But, hey,” Finn smiled, turning to her, “it’s official now! We have our very own apartment in this-” he drew his arms up, looking around the lobby area, “wonderful establishment.” 

Rey laughed and motioned for him to follow her outside. There, she paused and looked to her left, seeing the community pool and the apartment building just beyond it. That was where villa B-239 was located - their new home. 

“I’d say let’s go get our stuff and move in right now,” Finn said, “But it’s getting kind of late.” 

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Rey saw that he was right - it was already 4:49, which wasn’t very late in the day but was still a bit late to try and move into a new home.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “But I’m not doing anything tomorrow.” 

“I am.” 

“Oh. Well we can reschedule-” 

“I’m planning on moving into my new place with my new roommate,” Finn continued, grinning widely. Rey smiled back and crossed her arms. 

“Well, then. It sounds like our schedules match up. What time should we start?” 

“How does 10:30 sound?” 

“Absolutely perfect!” 

“Great. Well, hey, I hate to do this, but my family is having this dinner for me at my Mom and Dad’s house, so I’d better get going. But I look forward to seeing you tomorrow! Maybe we can eat Chinese takeout together for dinner.” 

“I love that idea. Have a good evening, Finn.” 

“You too, Rey.” 

Giving him a small wave, Rey turned and got in her car, making sure that he was out of sight before giggling and doing a small happy dance that she hoped nobody would ever have to see. Pressing her forehead against the steering wheel, she let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, feeling as if an immense load had been lifted off of her shoulders. Just one more night in her hotel room! She’d spent the day packing away all of her possessions into cardboard boxes she’d found behind the local liquor store, and she’d ordered a mattress to be delivered to her new address the next day. She’d had to pay quite a bit extra to get the express delivery, but she hadn’t cared; she just wanted to be settled into her new apartment as quickly as possible. 

Rey felt so carefree that she didn’t even pause to look at the caller ID on her phone when she felt it buzz in her pocket; whoever it was, they couldn't bring her down. Hell, if it was a telemarketer, she’d probably end up telling them the good news.

“Hello?” she said into the receiver, her excitement ringing loud and clear in her tone. 

However, she felt all of her happiness seep out of her when she heard the familiar voice over the phone. 

“Hey, Rey,” Ben replied. 

___________

In and out. She was only going to be in and out, and then she could drive straight to her new apartment to help Finn move in. It would take, maybe, 5 minutes, and then she could be free of Ben Solo for the rest of her days. 

She repeated this mantra the entire drive over to her old house, her ex’s voice still ringing in her ears as she thought about the conversation they’d had the day before. 

After a long, tense silence, Rey had listened to Ben clear his throat and speak. 

“So… You forgot your passport,” he’d said, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

“...Oh,” had been all she’d managed. 

A sigh was heard over the line, and she could almost picture Ben running his fingers exasperatedly through his hair. 

“Look, I need your key back, anyways. I’ll be here all day tomorrow; we can trade.” 

What Rey wanted to do was hang up and vow never to see this man she’d once loved again. She wanted to curl up into a ball and call Maz and things out. And even though she’d only just met him, she almost wanted to jump out of her car and go sprinting after Finn, just to ask for a hug or a word of reassurance. 

But no. She’d taken a deep breath and closed her eyes, managing to steady her voice so much that even she was impressed. 

“I can be there in the morning. Is 10 o’clock alright?” 

“Yeah. I’ll see you then.” 

With that, she’d abruptly hung up and driven back to her hotel room, packing the last of her things away before taking a long, hot shower to clear her mind. 

Now, she wished she hadn’t ever picked up her phone as she pulled into the old driveway, turning her car off and looking up at the front door. She saw the blinds in the window to the left of it move, indicating that Ben had watched her pull up. Well, there goes the option of bailing; she had to do this. 

Biting her lip, Rey made her slow way out of her car, carrying nothing but her keyring with her. She’d woken up at 5 am with nothing to do, so she’d decided to go the local supercenter. Now, there was a small tube of mace hanging from her keychain, and though she doubted she would have to use it today, it did give her some small comfort. She had to admit, though, that she was less scared of what Ben might do to her than what he might say. 

Walking up the front steps, Rey didn’t even have to knock on the front door; it was opened to her as soon as she was stood upon the small porch. The large frame of her ex-boyfriend stood before her, and she found himself looking him over, searching for some sign that he’d been having at least somewhat of a difficult time since their breakup. 

But Ben looked the same as ever - his hair was carefully styled, no doubt containing an exorbitant amount of product just as she always remembered it being. His face was clean-shaven and he had on his old paint-stained pair of ripped jeans with a long sleeved black t-shirt on. He looked fine, and that thought filled her with enough frustration to make her straighten her spine and look him in the eye. 

“Here,” she said, handing over her old key. He huffed and reached forward, taking it from her before stepping back inside and out of the doorway. 

“You can at least be civil,” he scoffed, motioning her to enter. Gulping, she stepped inside and looked around, seeing that while Ben looked as good as ever, his home was certainly worse for wear. Beer cans were littered throughout the place, and dirty dishes and laundry had been piled up on the dining room table. 

“Where is my passport?” Rey asked, turning her gaze back to him. 

“Where it always is,” he said. “In the bedside drawer.”

Nodding, Rey walked into their old bedroom to see that the bed hadn’t been made and more clothes were littered over the floor. When she walked towards the nightstand, her eyes wandered over to the trash can they’d kept by their bed to see a used condom sitting on top of a pile of tissues, and she almost gagged at the sight. Shaking her head and blinking her eyes, she retrieved her passport and turned to see Ben standing close to her - so close that it made her jolt in surprise. 

“Well… I’ll be going now,” she said, trying to move past him. 

“Your car is filled with boxes,” was all he said, seemingly oblivious to her attempts to leave. 

“Yes, well… I found a new place.” 

“Where is it?” 

“I’d really rather not say. Now can I please-”

“I hope it’s not in some ratty part of town. You don’t get paid enough to afford a nice place on your own.” 

“My new home is in a lovely development; thank you for your concer-” 

“I don’t really believe you, you know.” 

Rey huffed and put her hands on her hips, craning her neck to look up at him. 

“I have a roommate, alright? Together we make enough to afford a very. Nice. Apartment. Now move.” 

“You’re acting like a bitch right now,” Ben frowned. “We’ve been together for three years, and now you’re acting like I’m some sort of stranger. I thought us breaking up would mean a little bit more to you.” 

Rey paused, letting out a sigh as she felt a small pang of guilt prick her conscience. 

“Ben… Of course I’m hurt by how things turned out. But you hurt me-” 

“You hurt me too, you know,” he interrupted, lifting up his shirt to reveal a bruise that was about half-healed. “You gave me this. Almost cracked one of my ribs, too.” 

Rey looked at the bruises, her right hand subconsciously moving to her left wrist, thinking about the matching marks that rested there. He… He was right. Wasn’t he? Sure, he’d been the one to swing first, but Rey had been no better. She’d lashed out, too. 

Letting out a sigh, Rey looked down at her feet as she spoke. 

“I’m truly sorry, Ben. I shouldn’t have hurt you, and I apologize for everything I did to contribute to us ending in such a terrible way.” 

She looked up to see that Ben’s eyes had softened, and he nodded his head, leaning a bit closer to her. 

“It doesn’t have to end, you know,” he told her. “I could give you a second chance.” 

Rey’s eyes widened as she looked up at him, at first simply shocked that he’d even proposition such a thing. Even if she had been in the wrong, she didn’t want him back. If anything, the way they’d exploded at one another had proven that they were better off on their own. 

“Ben…” She trailed off, searching for the right words. “I am...very flattered by that. And thank you for wanting to move past everything and give me another chance. But I think that we’ve just grown apart ever since high school. Maybe we can work towards being friends again, but I don’t think we should try to give our romantic relationship another shot.” 

For a moment, Rey’s hand tightened around her keyring when she saw his familiar anger well up inside his eyes. But he surprised her; she watched as the rage that had been making his shoulders tense up subsided, and she saw him let out a long breath from his parted lips. 

“Rey. I understand that you might have some...reservations, for whatever reason. But you should really think this through. I’m the only person you have other than that old lady you talk to on your lunch break. You have, like, maybe a handful of other acquaintances, and I know that you and Luke probably haven’t spoken in months. And this roommate of yours, do you even know them? Or did you answer some sort of ad for them on the internet?” 

Rey’s eyes widen at his correct guess, and a smirk formed over his lips when he saw that he’d assumed correctly. 

“Do you really feel safe going into a situation like that?”

“I… I know it sounds stupid,” Rey stammered. “But I trust him. Finn is a good-” 

“Wait wait wait,” Ben interrupted, holding up a hand. “Did you just say…’him’?” 

“Y-yes…?” 

Ben let out a chuckle, and then all of a sudden a shout exploded out of him. 

 

“So you’ve just moved on to someone else like some kind of slut?!” 

“It’s not like that!” Rey responded, desperate to calm the moment. “He’s nice and he’s not interested in anything other than being roommates!” 

“Oh, so he isn’t interested but you are, huh?” Ben sneered. “I should have known. If it hadn’t been for moving in with me right after graduation, you’d still be living at home. All you know how to do is date someone and use them to pay the bills.” 

“That’s not true and you-” 

Rey stopped, covering her mouth and closing her eyes. She felt completely drained, completely devastated. This was supposed to be a happy day, and now she found herself in yet another shouting match with Ben. Letting her hands fall to her sides, one containing her keys and the other holding loosely onto her passport, she simply walked past him and nearly sprinted to her car, not uttering another word. 

Leaping into her car and turning the key in the ignition, she peeled out of the driveway without even looking to see if Ben had tried following her, concerned only with keeping tears from falling from her eyes. 

_________

It hurt to pull up to her new home to see Finn unloading boxes from his car, a smile on his face as he made trips to and from the elevators to their second-floor apartment. Rey parked her car next to his and watched as he gave her a wave, not even able to manage a smile to give him. 

“Hey, Rey,” he greeted when she got out of the car. “I started without you; I just realized earlier today that we don’t have a couch, so I was wondering if you’d like to go shopping before ordering Chinese-” 

“Finn?” she interrupted, her voice cracking from the weight of her unshed tears. “Can I just...take a raincheck on tonight? I’m not feeling well today.” 

If she’d thought it was sad to see him so happy when she was miserable, it was downright crushing to watch that smile drain from his face. 

“Oh. Uh… Yeah.” He set his hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” 

“You sure? Cuz I can’t have my roommate sad-”

“I said I was fine,” she interrupted, shrugging his hand off and bolting for the stairwell. She didn’t notice that she’d dropped her keys as she ran away; at least, she didn’t notice until she came to their front door. Pushing against it, she was relieved to find that Finn had left it unlocked in his trips between it and his car, and she barely managed to make it into the bathroom before her sobs tore their way out of her throat and the tears started spilling from her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to let you know that I don't agree with any of the thoughts Rey had when Ben confronted her. This poor bean has never done anything wrong in her entire life, and she's been so messed up by that edgelord who never deserved her.


	6. I Thought That I Was Strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn makes an attempt to help Rey feel better. 
> 
> As always, y'all enjoy :)) TRW

FINN

 

 

What had happened? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Finn had been just as excited that morning as he had been the previous night. Ready to move all of his things in to his new place, with his new roommate. Yet, here he was. Standing with a box in his arms, completely dumbfounded over what had just happened.

Rey asked if she could take a rain check, and when he asked if she was alright, she answered too quickly, replying that all was well.

He didn't believe it. Not for a second did he believe it. 

So when he attempted to make things a bit lighter, she shrugged out of his grip, running past him heading for the elevator. 

Had she been crying? It seems the answer to that question was apparent when Finn carried his box inside the apartment, and heard soft weeping coming from behind the bathroom door. 

He immediately sat the box down, and rushed over to the door. He balled up his fist and was prepared to knock when he thought back to how she had pushed him away earlier. He pulled his hand back and thought to himself that maybe she just needed and minuet, so he went back to work. 

Finn made his way back down the hallway waiting for the elevator doors to open. When they did, he went down one floor and back towards his car to retrieve more of his things. On his way back to his car, he noticed a set of keys laying on the ground. He bent down to pick them up before looking around to see if anyone had walked by who might have recently dropped them. He had been there all morning unloading his things, and he didn't remember seeing anyone. Which is why he decided to point the key clicker towards Rey's car.

Unsurprisingly, the car unlocked. He shoved the keys in his pocket thinking to give them back to her the next time he took another box upstairs. When he made it back up to the apartment, it hadn't sounded as if anything was different. She was still in the bathroom, and it sounded like she was still crying. 

He sighed to himself. It only there was something he could do to make her feel better. Then it hit him.

An hour and a half later, Finn was sprawled out over his bed. He was no where near finished, but at least he didn't have to make another trip downstairs to get anymore boxes. 

He would've finished sooner, but had decided to go ahead and bring Rey's things up for her. That way, at least she didn't have to be upset about something, _and_ have to end up dragging box after box after box upstairs. 

He still had to unpack, and sort everything out. Not to mention he had to get some of his things out of storage. The things that he couldn't take with him when he moved in with Poe and Jessika. 

It was extremely fortunate that Finn still possessed those things at all. After he was arrested and could no longer pay his rent, his landlord told him that he had to move his things out, or they would be  _taken_ out. 

"How am I supposed to do that, if I cant leave?" Finn asked.

"You had better figure something out by next week" the landlord replied coldly. 

Finn had always hated that guy, but now, he was sure that hate wasn't a strong enough word. He had been locked up for about three weeks and was allowed on phone call a week. He wasted the one call he had to ask his landlord if there was anything he could do to prevent his things from being put out. He could've been talking to his family or friends, but instead ended up talking to some jerk who ended up hanging up on him.

By next week, Finn had used his one call to call Poe. Choosing Poe because he was always unsure if his parents would answer or not. Even when he wasn't in jail, both of his parents having jobs and raising five kids kept them busy.

"I won't let that happen" Poe said. 

Finn breathed a sigh of relief not realizing he had been holding that breath it. He told Finn that he would ensure all of his things were kept in a storage unit, and that he could get them after he was released. 

Finn began thinking of all of the things that were in his storage unit, remembering that a couch was not one of the items he had. He recalled telling Rey earlier that they would need one, but furniture shopping seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind. 

Finn pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Poe. He asked if he would mind coming to pick him up so that they could go couch shopping and to drive to the storage unit to collect his things.

"Sure. I'll be over in 20. See ya then" Poe replied. 

Once Poe pulled up he honked the horn for Finn to come downstairs. Finn jumped in and together they drove off.

"Thanks a lot for coming to get me man" Finn said. 

"Not a problem buddy. You and I both know that you wouldn't be able to fit a bed frame in your tiny little car of yours" Poe said laughing. 

Finn smiled back at him, knowing that Poe got asked favors like this all the time just because he drove a truck.

"So" Poe spoke up again. "How goes the move?"

That got Finn to stop smiling. He had been happy all last night and earlier on this morning, now he was just sore from moving so many boxes around, and concerned for Rey.

"Well" Finn said, finally speaking up. "I wish I knew."

"What do you mean by that?" Poe asked. 

"Well, Rey...my roommate, she seemed so happy the other day when we signed the lease, and now...well she seemed completely miserable this morning" Finn explained. "I hope she hasn't changed her mind about moving in with me or anything" he said. 

"Well did you  _do_ anything, or  _say_ anything to her?" Poe asked.

"No of course not! Yesterday we made plans to move all of our stuff in, and she seemed so happy. Let's just say, she's not in the same mood as she was yesterday, and I have no idea why" Finn said. 

"Well..." Poe began. "Remember what you told me in the beginning. If you think she's got some shady people in her life or whatever, maybe that's why she's upset."

Finn hadn't even taken that into consideration. He found himself being more concerned making her happy again, as opposed to the possibility of someone making her unhappy. 

"Remember what I said" Poe spoke up, snapping Finn out of his thoughts. 

Finn said nothing, staring out the window, noticing that they had already arrived at the furniture store. 

After looking around for a bit, Finn had decided on a greyish-blue couch that came with yellow pillows. Poe as well as another employee, all assisted Finn in loading it into the back of Poe's truck.

On the drive back, the two kept the conversation light. Talking about the weather, and Jessika, and Finn's family as opposed to what was really weighing on Finn's mind. 

Once they had gotten the couch upstairs, and centered it in the living room area, Poe took a look around, while Finn was looking for Rey. The bathroom door was open, and the room itself was empty. He had thought maybe she had retreated to her bedroom, but it was empty too. He remembered putting her keys on the kitchen counter after he was done unloading all of her things from her car, and noticed that they were gone. She wasn't here. She had left. Finn's heart sank a bit. He tried to put on a front to make it appear as if it wasn't bothering him while Poe talked about how nice the place was. 

"So?" Poe said. "Where's the gloomy roomie?" 

Finn rolled his eyes. "Don't call her that" he said gently pushing Poe back outside. 

He locked the door behind him and headed back down towards the elevator where Poe was waiting. 

"She isn't here anyway" Finn said once he caught up with Poe.

"Where'd she go?" Poe asked. 

"You remember what you said?" Finn asked him raising one of his eyebrows. "I'm  _staying out of it_ " he said dramatically using air quotes with his fingers. 

Poe bumped shoulders with Finn as they entered the elevator. 

When they arrived to the storage unit, and began unloading all of the things from the unit to Poe's car, Finn began feeling a bit nostalgic. He began looking at some of the things that he had forgotten he even had. 

His old keyboard which was gathering dust was the first thing he happened upon. Back when Finn still lived with his parents, he recalled how he and his younger sister Vaylin used to spend hours and hours using all of the different functionalities that the keyboard had, making up songs to go along with the music that they had created. 

After that he found his and his fathers old fishing gear. Two poles, a box filled up with different bait compartments, and two lifejackets. Finn smiled, running his hand against the possessions, marveling at the fact that he could finally call them _his_ once again.

The last thing Finn carried out to Poe's car was a box simply marked 'kitchen.' Finn opened the box up and smiled yet again. Of course, there was a blender, some steak knives, and other 'kitchen' essentials. But what had made him smile so wide was the fact that he had managed to forget about his refrigerator magnets. Back when he lived with his parents, you never knew what you would see written on the refrigerator door, or who had left it there.

_Mommy snores._

_Toilet paper isn't food._

_8 is a sexy number._

_Don't go poo with the door open._

_Pillows are alive & talked to me._

_911 is not a plaything._

While they all had their share of laughs over the mystery of who wrote something with the magnets, he was especially fond of them because it was how he taught his youngest sibling, and only brother the alphabet. 

"You can do it!" Finn said.

The four year old walked up to the magnets, looking for the correct letters. Finn had never been as proud as he was that day, when his little brother put the letters E-Z-R-and A in the correct order.

Arriving back at the apartment, Finn had been secretly hoping that he would see Rey's car when they got back. Unfortunately, she was still gone. 

Poe helped Finn bring the last of his things inside before saying goodbye and walking out. 

Finn was exhausted. It was only 8 o'clock in the evening but he was exhausted. He had all of his things out of his car, out of his storage unit, and had bought a couch. Everything was in the house, it just needed to be assigned a certain spot. He figured that could be a chore for another time. His muscles in his back and arms were beginning to protest, and he had to work in the morning. He looked through some of the boxes labeled 'bathroom' and took a towel and washcloth out for a shower. After he was clean, he laid some sheets down on his bed, turned off the lamp that wasn't even perched on a nightstand, but the floor, and shut his eyes. 

Even though he was tired, and even though he was comfortable, he couldn't stop thinking about Rey. He wondered if she was alright, if she was still sad, and mostly he wondered where she was. They were supposed to be tired together, sitting on their new couch eating Chinese takeout, and watching something on his sister Asajj's Netflix account. But that wasn't happening. And as much as he was wondering where she was, his body slowly began slipping in a light slumber. A light slumber that was brought to an end, as soon as he closed his eyes it seemed. 

He heard the apartment door open, then shut. He then heard light footsteps making their way through the living room area, around the corner, and further down the hall to where Rey's room was. 

Finn's curiosity got the better of him, as he pushed his sheets back and made his way over towards his window. He smiled when he peeled the blinds back and saw Rey's car sitting in the parking spot right next to his. 

He laid back down, hoping that she was okay, but now knowing where she was. He turned to double check his alarm clock before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Just as Finn had thought he had shut his eyes and got comfortable, his alarm went off. His muscles were still a little stiff when he went to reach over to shut it off. Finn was never big on the snooze button, knowing that he would probably just keep hitting it over and over again until he ended up being late.

After yet another shower, he walked back to his room to get dressed. Once he made his way to the kitchen, he began brewing himself some coffee for the morning. He opened the cabinet he had put his oatmeal in and took it out. After his coffee and breakfast was ready, he stood in the kitchen and ate, not yet having kitchen furniture either. He placed his mug in the sink before rinsing it out, and was about to grab his keys and leave before he thought of something. 

Finn made another batch of oatmeal and scooped it all in a jar, then placed it in the refrigerator. He then proceeded to lay all of the necessities for coffee out in order in front of the coffee machine. Right before he left for work, he went back to his bedroom to retrieve some of the magnet letters from the box labeled 'kitchen.' 

_Breakfast in the fridge_

_Finn_

He smiled to himself after he walked out of the front door, locking it behind himself, in hopes that it would make Rey feel better. Even if it didn't, at least she'd be able to start her morning right. 

It was then, for some reason he thought back to what Poe had said to him the first time he talked on the phone to Rey.

_'Stay out of it.'_

When Finn reached forward to press the  _down_ button on the elevator, he realized just how hard that it was becoming. 


	7. The Band-Aid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this taking so long! I hope everyone enjoys. As always, please leave a comment if you have any ideas or if you want to fangirl over the perfection that is Finnrey with us. Enjoy!

Rey had never before noticed how few pictures she had. But now, as she was sitting on the floor going through her cardboard boxes, every now and then taking a bite of oatmeal, she realized that she only had three. She’d kept them in a manilla envelope, which she’d grabbed absentmindedly while packing away her things, and now they were spread out before her on the beige carpet of her new bedroom. 

The first one was the most painful to look at. It was of her and Ben standing on their front porch; she remembered exactly when they’d taken it. It had been on the day they’d bought their home. It was snowing, a fact that had delighted the both of them. In the tiny photo, they were swaddled up in heavy winter coats and toboggans as Ben took the selfie, and Rey’s heart twinged in pain as she flipped the photo upside down. 

Her eyes moved to the second picture, and she found her lips twitching upwards as she looked over it. It was a selfie she’d taken with Maz; she’d wanted a picture of the older woman, but she’d insisted that she wouldn’t allow it unless Rey was in it with her. After Rey had snapped the photo, Maz had gotten her to email it to her, and the next day she’d had a printed out copy of it waiting for Rey to take home with her. 

“I want you to hang this somewhere in your house where people can see it,” Maz had instructed. “Because I look really good in this one.” 

Rey had laughed and readily complied, and she’d kept it ever since. She wondered now, though, if Finn would mind her hanging it up in their living room. For now, until she could ask, she would keep it on the bookshelf she’d just finished putting together. It was flimsy, and the shelves on it already looked like they were sagging at the middle under the weight of her books, but she was confident it would stay together. She’d always had a knack for making things. 

As she got up to place the picture in its place, her eyes glanced over the third and final memory that she’d unpacked from the envelope. It was a small, old polaroid, and her emotions were scattered and unclear every time she looked at it. It was a picture of her family. Or, rather, of what her family had once been. 

It had been taken just a month before she was born. In the foreground stood her father, grinning proudly with his arm around a very pregnant woman - Rey’s mom. Slightly behind and to the right of her mom stood her grandparents; they were holding hands, and while her grandfather was smiling at the camera like her mom and dad, her grandmother was beaming at her daughter, the joy on her face almost palpable at the prospect of having a grandchild in just a few weeks’ time. 

But the joy wouldn’t last, and even though Rey knew that she should see the photo as a memory of a time of happiness and not a scene of the calm before a torrential storm, she still had to look away before she could start thinking too much of the life she could have had. She stood up and shoved the polaroid into her desk’s drawer before picking up the old photo of her and Ben and ripping it in half. Crumpling up the remains and shoving them into her pocket, she took the framed picture of her and Maz and set it on her shelf, wondering if there would be any more photos to join it one day. 

Setting her hands on her hips, she looked around her freshly unpacked room, feeling happy with the work she’d done on her day off. Her new full-sized bed was shoved into the corner, its frame so low to the ground that it almost looked like it was just a mattress covered in a thick, white duvet. Her closet had all of her clothes and shoes put away in it, and her bookshelf and desk housed her books and various knick-knacks. The walls, she thought, were still quite bare, but maybe she could go out and buy some posters for them after her next paycheck. 

Her eyes came to rest on the empty pile of cardboard boxes she’d thrown into the corner. Last night, when she’d ventured out of the bathroom after her crying was mostly over, she’d been surprised to see them resting there. But then she’d heard the sounds of Finn unpacking his own boxes in his room across their apartment, and she’d felt so touched that she almost started crying right then and there. But she hadn’t, and she hadn’t even touched any of her things. 

No, she’d walked into her room, closed the door, and sat on her bare floor, her mind still buzzing with everything Ben had said and did. The thing that saddened her most wasn’t the fact that he’d shouted at her. It wasn’t even that he’d called her a slut. It was that he was right he’d said she’d been so reliant on him since high school. She hadn’t gone to college like her father had pressured her to do; she’d trusted that her and Ben would be able to make it on their own. Together. She’d never even thought about how he’d always paid for most of their bills, or how she’d never made many friends because she always hung out with him. 

“I’m on my own now,” Rey had whispered, laying back on her carpet and staring up at her ceiling. “I can make it on my own. I’ll prove it.” 

Her reflections were interrupted when she heard their front door opening and closing; Finn must have left. Pulling herself to her feet, Rey had peeked her head out of the door, seeing through his open doorway that he wasn’t there. Now would be her time to leave without having an awkward encounter with him before she could make it out the door. 

With a start, she’d realized that she didn’t know where her keys were, and she began to panic when she realized she must have dropped them earlier. But all of her worries were put to rest when she saw them sitting on the kitchen counter. Finn, it seemed, had come through for her once again. 

Grabbing her keys, Rey knew exactly where she needed to go. She knew she couldn’t be alone just then, and there was only one person she knew would help her. 

__________

Stepping into Maz’s room was almost magical. Just being in the presence of her friend made her shoulders relax and her breaths come easier. Rey had unlocked the back door and snuck into her place of work, knowing that visiting hours were over and that she’d get in trouble if one of the overnight staff caught her there. But it was worth it when she poked her head into Maz’s room to find her friend reading another one of her trashy romance novels. 

“Maz?” she’d whispered, drawing those sharp, intelligent eyes her way. 

With one look, Maz sighed and set her book down, scooting over in bed and patting the spot next to her. 

“Let those tears go, love,” she’d told her. “I can tell there’s still some more in there.”

Biting her lip, Rey had obediently sat down, and upon feeling a frail but warm arm being draped across her shoulders, she felt the floodgates within her burst once more, and she found herself sobbing into Maz’s shoulder. There were no coos or words of comfort from her friend as she let out her sorrows; Maz knew she didn’t need those yet. She simply let Rey cry on her shoulder, and Rey wondered all the while whether or not she realized just how much that simple act had an impact on her. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Rey’s eyes dried, and she looked up. 

“Good,” Maz smiled warmly. “I thought you would never stop.” 

A laugh bubbled up and out of Rey’s mouth, and her hand flew to her mouth when she remembered she had to be quiet. A soft chuckle came out of Maz as well, but after a few seconds her smile faded and she took Rey’s hand between both of hers. 

“Tell me what happened.” 

And Rey did. She poured her heart out and told her everything that had transpired between her and Ben, seeing a flare of anger within Maz when she started talking about her guilt for leaving bruises on his ribs. 

“Do not give that beast the sympathy he doesn’t deserve,” Maz had interrupted her. “You were defending yourself that night, and even if you hadn’t been, nothing you did could ever come close to the damage he has left on you - inside and out.” 

“But-”

“No,” Maz insisted. “Rey. Look at me. Really, truly look at me.” 

Rey did as she was told, staring into Maz’s dark, intense gaze. 

“You will not believe this right now,” she murmured, “But I want you to train yourself day and night until, eventually, you do. I want you to show yourself that Ben was wrong. And I don’t want you to ever let yourself be under the control of another brute like that ever again. You have such strength within you, but even the largest elephant can be fragile with a broken bone. You have a broken spirit, so it will take even longer for you to truly mend. 

“But when you come out on the other side of these feelings you’re battling with,” Maz whispered, “I fear for anyone who thinks they can fuck with you.” 

Maz pointed to Rey’s heart as she said this last part, and Rey felt the weight of her words as they settled there. 

“Do you think I’ve ever lied to you?” Maz asked her after a beat. 

“No.” 

“Good. Because I haven’t. I’m too old to waste my remaining breaths on lies, especially not to a dear friend. So take faith, if not in yourself, then in the fact that I will never tell you something that isn’t true.” 

For a long while, they were silent after that, simply thinking over everything that had been said, until Maz spoke up once more. 

“Finn sounds like a good man,” she mused, drawing Rey’s attention to her once more. “He sounds like he would make a good friend. You’ll need friends moving forward, Rey.” 

“I like Finn a lot,” Rey admitted. “He’s been so kind to me. Even today, after I was so rude to him.” 

A weathered hand was set on her knee, and she felt Maz bump her shoulder against hers. 

“I want you to be friends with him. Get him dinner; watch a movie. Do something fun with him. I have a feeling he’s going to be an important part of your life moving forward. And not just because you’ll be living together.” 

“I want to be friends with him, too,” Rey had assured her. “I just hope I wasn’t too abrupt with him today.” 

“That boy carried all of your belongings up to your room without you having to even ask. I think it’ll take a lot more to make him upset with you.” 

After that, Maz had told Rey to go home and get some sleep, and Rey hurried to comply before any of the nursing home’s staff could catch her. She’d gotten home and rushed inside once she saw that Finn’s car was there. She almost had hoped that she’d run into him - she wanted to apologize and thank him for bringing up her boxes. 

But he was nowhere to be seen when she got there, and his bedroom door was closed. No doubt he was tired from the day; he deserved his rest. And so she’d walked down her hall and into her room, stopping to drag in the box she knew her pajamas and air mattress was in. 

She’d slept soundly that night, despite of being in a new place. Or maybe because she was in a new home. No thoughts of Ben’s outburst haunted her as she lay with her eyes closed. Instead, she’d thought about Maz’s words and of Finn’s kindness, and the last thought she had before slipping into slumber was that she did, indeed, hope that he and her could be friends. 

_____________

Now, Rey flopped onto the couch in their living room, tired from the day she’d had. That morning, she’d woken up and immediately gotten dressed to go to Ikea. There, she’d bought all of the furniture she’d need for her bedroom along with some odds and ins she’d bought for the house. She didn’t want to set out the decorations she’d picked out just yet, though; she thought that was something she should do with Finn when the time came. 

On the subject of Finn, she hadn’t even noticed the note he’d left on their fridge until lunch time. She’d just gotten home, and in between trips back and forth from her car into her room to unload and assemble the boxed furniture, she’d glanced into the kitchen to see that he’d put those alphabet magnets onto the front of their fridge. Rey had always thought that they were cheesy, but she thought that, oddly, they seemed to suit the place. They made the kitchen look homey, and after all of her furniture was made and her stomach started to grumble, she walked into the kitchen to see that the letters had spelled out a message for her. 

“Breakfast in the fridge - Finn,” she read out loud. Her smile grew wide, and inside she found a jar of oatmeal. She’d never really been much of a fan of oatmeal, but when she’d sat on her bedroom floor and took her first bite of it, she let out a hum of appreciation. It had been such a sweet gesture of him to leave it for her, and she found herself adding it to the ever growing list of things he’d done for her out of the kindness of his heart. 

Now as she finished the last of it on the couch he must have brought there, she thought about what she could do in return - how she would apply a band-aid to their rough start. And then she remembered their promise of Chinese takeout. 

And so she started to get everything ready later on that evening, and by the time she heard their front door open and shut, she had everything prepared. 

Walking out of the kitchen, Rey smoothed her shirt down and smiled at Finn as he was taking his jacket off. 

“Hello,” she greeted him cautiously. 

His head darted up at the sound of her voice, and a cautious but friendly smile came to his face. 

“Hey, Rey,” he responded. “How, uh… How are you doing?” 

“I’m alright,” she assured him, looking away and thinking over her next words carefully. 

“I would like to apologize for how I behaved yesterday,” she started. “I know that you must be...confused by how I acted. Maybe even offended. But I want you to know that I’m truly sorry for brushing you off, and I’m very grateful to you for bringing up my boxes. And the oatmeal.” 

She looked up when she heard Finn step closer to her, and the caution in his eyes was gone as he looked at her. 

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Rey. You weren’t having a good day; I’m just glad I could help a little bit.” 

Warmth blossomed in Rey’s chest, and a violent desire to hug this man in front of her suddenly welled up inside of her. She fought down that unexpected urge, though, and settled for crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Well… I still thought that it might be good to give our first night at being roommates a second shot. So… I ordered way too much food from the local Chinese place, partly because I didn’t know what you would like, mostly because I can eat a metric ton when I’m hungry.” 

Finn laughed and draped his jacket over the back of their couch. 

“We have something in common, then.” 

He followed her into the kitchen, and Rey watched as he took in the setup she had waiting there. Beef with broccoli, chicken lo mein, sesame chicken, fried rice, and crab rangoons sat in their containers, all lined up next to a stack of two plates and two empty glasses. 

“I got some sodas for us, too. I hope Coke and Sprite are alright?” 

“This is...perfect,” he said. “I mean, I’m definitely gonna gain ten pounds tonight at least, but it’s worth it.” 

“I’m so glad you agree,” Rey grinned. “I thought that we could just eat on the couch tonight, since we have yet to buy a dining table.” 

“Of course! That’s where I always eat. I think that my family only used our dining table on holidays growing up; the rest of the time, we just ate on the couch or on the living room floor.” 

“I mostly ate in my room,” Rey added. “My father and I didn’t even use our dining table at holidays.” 

“They’re overrated,” Finn concluded. After their plates were made and glasses were full, he turned to her with his hands full and nodded towards the living area. 

“To the couch?” 

“To the couch.”


	8. You and Me. Me and You. Both of Us Together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Rey settle into their domestic roommate lifestyle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Readers Writer here. We've decided that this is our last chapter. This story is on permanent hiatus...  
> As always, y'all enjoy:))

'To the couch.' It was slowly becoming Finn's most overused sentence, and also his favorite words to hear. 

Because whenever he said those words, or those words were said to him, it meant that the hard work of the day was over with, and he got to sit down on the couch and relax with his roommate, who was becoming a very fast friend. 

Monday through Friday those words were said in the evening, but now that it was a weekend, those words were uttered first thing in the morning. 

Finn had decided to make himself a few eggs, and even offered to make Rey some as well. But she politely declined, favoring a Pop-Tart that was already in the toaster.

After their respective breakfasts were made, Finn was the one to utter his favorite words, to which Rey smiled and accepted. 

She sat her Pop-Tarts down on the table in front of the couch in the paper towel that they were wrapped in, and grabbed the remote. She turned on the TV, and flipped through Netflix to the show that they were both currently working on. 

"I can't believe you had never watched Dexter before I asked you about it" Rey said to Finn. Finn smiled before taking a sip of his coffee. He remember explaining to Rey, that he had seen the show in his Netflix feed every once in a while, but never had an interest in watching it, and didn't know anyone else who had seen it, so he figured it was just a waste of time. Little did he know, that he was wrong. 

"Dexter is such a cool show. I am forever indebted to you for bringing a good series to my attention" Finn said back.

As they sat on the couch eating and watching TV, Finn began thinking to himself. Almost all of the shows that Rey suggested that they watch, were kind of on the 'dark' side. Dexter, Lockup, Drugs Inc. Even some of the animated shows that she wanted to watch with Finn were dark. Things like Big Mouth and Bojack Horesman. But once she had finally talked him into watching Dexter with him, he found himself enjoying the show alongside his roommate. 

"Aw come on, please? If you hate it, we can watch something else. I promise" Rey had said to him.

Finn looked down at Rey, he was finding it extremely hard to refuse her offer, which is why he probably ended up caving in to her demands. 

"Okay" Finn said. "Twenty minuets, that's all you're getting from me" he said with a smile. 

After Finn had finished his eggs, he walked back into the kitchen to rinse his plate off and placed it in the nearly full dishwasher. Finn started up the dishwasher noticing that almost all of their cabinets were empty because they had no clean dishes. Even the cabinets that contained food were nearly empty. 

"Hey Rey" Finn called to her from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"We should probably go grocery shopping today. We're almost out of food" he said back. 

Rey got up off of the couch and walked towards the trashcan to throw her paper towel away. She mimicked Finn's actions by opening up all of the cabinets that they kept food in, and looked in the refrigerator. 

"You're right. Wow, if you hadn't said something the next time I wanted to eat something, you would've seen how mean I can get when I'm hungry."

Finn rolled his eyes. He didn't say so, but he didn't think that he would be able to take Rey seriously when and if she ever was mean to him. She'd probably stand there with her hands on her hips and pout. She'd probably scrunch her nose up like she did any time she got flustered. But the problem was it didnt make her look threatening or intimidating, it made her look adorable. Which was completely okay in Finn's mind. It was okay if he thought his roommate looked adorable from time to time. 

"I doubt that very much" Finn said. "You're too nice to ever be mean" he said locking the door behind them as they headed down the hallway to the elevator. 

They decided to take Rey's car since she had more trunk space then Finn. Once they arrived at the grocery store, Finn once again had to convince himself in his mind that it was completely okay to think that his roommate looked adorable from time to time. Because of the way she decided to ride the side of the grocery cart that he had selected made her look too cute for words.

Instead of getting two seperate carts, they both decided to go up each and every isle selecting the things that they needed and then seperating everything once check out time came. 

Once they got on the breakfast food isle, Finn saw Rey jump off of the side of the cart and immediately run over to where all of the kids cereal was. While Finn himself decided to grab a simple box of Wheaties, he glanced over and saw Rey, arms full, pouring box after box into the cart. 

"Trix, Froot Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs, and my personal favorite Captain Crunch" she said with a smile.

Finn felt his eyebrows rise. Rey narrowed her eyes.

"Judge much 'Mr. Wheaties'?" she said with a teasing tone.

"You sure do like your cereal on the 'sugary' side don't you?" he quipped back.

Rey pulled out the box of Trix and pointed to the side of the box. "See here?" she said pointing. "It says 'part of a balanced breakfast'" she said.

Finn pulled the box out of her hand and tossed it back in the cart before saying, "Yeah, that's after you add something that's actually healthy to the meal."

Rey smiled and bumped shoulders with him once they made their way towards the checkout line. Once they had paid and loaded all of the grocery's back in the car, they drove back to the apartment. Seeing that they were on the second floor, Finn loaded his arms down with as many groceries he could carry. Wanting to endure the temporary aggrevation of carrying too much weight, than wanting to make a second trip down. 

Once everything was put away Finn made his way to his room and began sorting through his clothes. Finn was always very organized when it came to laundry. He made sure that he did a load every three days. But noticed that Rey only did her laundry when she was completely out and had no choice but to wash her clothes. Which is why he wasn't surprised when he made his way from his room to the front door to see her doing the exact same thing. 

"Are you following me?" Finn teased. 

Rey said nothing. Just rolled her eyes playfully and continued carrying her bag out the door. 

As they both continued back outside towards the front of the complex they finally made their way to the laundry room. Rey began stuffing all of her clothes in the washer at once while Finn carefully seperated the lights from the darks. The two talked about whatever there was to talk about inbetween rinses, and removing their clothes from the washer to the dryer. Then continued doing so waiting for their clothes to dry. 

Finn's load was finished drying before Rey's, so he began folding all of his belongings up and carefully placing them back in the bin that he had brought them in. He folded quickly, knowing that Rey would probably leave as soon as her clothes were finished drying. He noticed that whenever they did end up doing laundry together, she never folded her clothes. She would just toss them on her bed and take whatever she needed when she needed it. 

They ended up finishing at the same time. Finn folded the last of his clean shirts, right as Rey snatched the last of her clothing from the dryer and shut the door. 

As Finn began picking up his bin, Rey walked over to shove all of her clothes back in the bag that she had brought them from. It was then that Finn had noticed that not all of her clothing had made it into the bag, because she had dropped something on the floor. 

Finn sat his bin down and went to pick it up for Rey, but hadn't realized what it was until he had spoken up.

"Rey, you dropped your..." he began. But he had to look at it to tell her what it was that she had dropped. There in his hand Finn held a pair of Rey's underwear. A thong to be more specific. It was a light blue color with red chili peppers all over the front of it. 

Finn's mouth dropped open as he looked at the pair of underwear and then back to Rey, who was blushing bright red in the face. 

"Oh...thank you" she said, reaching out with extreme quickness to retrieve the pair of underwear that she had dropped, shoving down in the bag with the rest of her clothes. 

Finn tried as hard as he could to stiffle his laughter, but ended up failing miserably. 

"Oh, come on!" Rey snapped. "It's not 'that' funny!" she said to Finn who was bursting with laughter. 

Finn attempted to gather himself, as he spoke to Rey. "You're right, you are absolutely right" he said with a straight face. Rey nodded her head at him in an attempt to regain some of her dignity, that is up until Finn spoke up again. 

"I just wasn't aware that you were trying to 'spice up' the underwear game" he said, cracking up in laughter once again.

"Ugh!" Rey said turning away from him, clearly trying to hide how red her face was growing with embarrassement. "I don't have to take this from you!" she said picking up her bag and heading for the door. 

Finn grabbed his bin of clothes and chased after her, beating her to the door. 

"Here, let me get the door for you" he said with a smile. Rey eyed him, not knowing if he was trying to make up for teasing her or not. As she walked through the door, she heard Finn make a 'sizzle' noise. 

"Oh grow up Finn!" she said attempting to hide her smile. 

She walked past him at a quicker pace than she normally would have, as she heard Finn yell from behind her, "Sorry Rey!! I didn't mean to get 'jalepno' business!"

Finn could tell that she was trying to beat him to the elevator so she could take it up alone. Probably not hear anymore of his 'awesome' puns. But Finn quickened his pace and caught up with her just in time. His hand slid in between the elevator doors to push them back open. Once he was inside he looked at Rey and said, "I didn't mean to get you all 'hot' and bothered."

Finn could tell that it was all in good fun, because of the fact that she was trying to avoid looking at him because she couldn't hide her smile from him.

"Okay, okay. I promise, no more jokes" he said. 

Rey looked up at him. "Thank you" she said, yet still attempting to hide her amusement of the situation from him.

But wouldn't you know it. As soon as they got back to their apartment, Finn began blasting his music just loud enough to ensure that Rey would hear it. And of course, it had to be the band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> APRIL FOOLS!!!! The story is NOT on hiatus, I'm just very immature and decided to play a trick on everybody. Please forgive me :))


	9. The Space Around Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took literal years for me to update, guys! School, work, and personal stuff always seem to get in the way. But I have, finally, brought you good ol' chappy nine! It's a bit short, but I hope y'all still enjoy it. Love you guys! (As always, comments are so appreciated!)

Rey found herself smiling more often, a simple fact that shocked her one day as she was eating a bowl of boxed mac and cheese she’d made (despite Finn’s comments that there probably wasn’t even any “real” cheese in it, to which she’d replied, “Is anything truly “real”, Finn? How could you even know?”). Even when she wasn’t home, she caught herself grinning just by thinking about the worn couch sat dead-center in their living room, or about whatever message she’d left for Finn with the fridge magnets that day. 

There was one thing that had been bothering her about their apartment, though: it was very bland. Most of the pair’s efforts as far as decorating goes had been focussed on their respective rooms. Rey had her bits and bobs strewn about on her bookshelves, whereas Finn had several pictures of his family taped up along his walls in a sort of collage. But the kitchen, living room, dining area (which didn’t really even have a dining table), and bathroom were all bare. 

Now, as Rey sat on the couch and looked around at the white walls around her, she thought that it was time to change that. And it was on a Saturday, meaning she and Finn would each have the day off. 

“Finn?” she called out, expecting to hear his answer come from his bedroom. 

Instead, she heard the bathroom door creak open, and she turned around to see Finn’s head poke out of the barely-cracked door, steam wafting out of the room behind him and into the hallway. 

“Yeah?” he asked, shaking a few droplets of water from his damp-looking hair. 

“Oh, sorry, I hadn’t realized you were in the shower,” Rey apologized quickly. 

“No, no, you’re good,” he assured her. “I just got out. What’s up?” 

“Would you like to decorate the apartment together today?” 

“Well I have a few conditions.” 

“Name them and they’ll be granted.” 

Finn squeezed an arm out of the door, holding up a finger as Rey tried to ignore the way his bare arm looked as it flexed with his movements. 

“One: that we purchase a bean bag at some point,” he started, holding up another finger before continuing. “Two: that we buy one of those fat chefs that always seem to be in middle-aged people’s kitchens. And three: that we name any house plants we buy along the way.” 

Rey’s lips split into a wide grin to match her roommate’s, and she laughed as she gave him his answer. 

“There will definitely be further debate on the chef thing, but otherwise I’m happy to comply.” 

“Sounds good. Lemme just get dressed.” 

With that, Finn disappeared behind the door once again, leaving Rey to finish off her last bites of macaroni before going into her room to put on some clothes that weren’t pajamas. Once she was all done getting ready, having thrown her hair up into a messy bun somewhere along the way, she opened her door and walked out to find Finn picking his keys up from the kitchen counter. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

“Of course!” 

And so the two of them set out, taking Rey’s car just like they did for groceries on the days where they shopped for them together. 

“I could drive one of these times, you know,” Finn said as he messed with Rey’s radio. 

“Your car has two doors and barely enough trunk space to fit a small human, Finn.” 

“Why… Why do you measure trunk space like that? With measurements in how many humans could fit into them?” 

“Oh, no reason. On a totally unrelated note, if you hear any muffled screams from the back it’s just the wind.” 

Rey cracked up when she saw Finn’s eyebrows scrunch and his eyes widen as he opened his mouth to speak, but instead of saying anything he just laughed along with her, shaking his head. 

“You’re weird in a really great way,” he chuckled. A small blush came over her cheeks at his compliment, and she turned to him once they reached the next red light, glancing over her friend’s face. 

“Thank you, Finn. You don’t...think I’m too weird, right?” 

She watched as his grin fell into a soft smile, one that was clearly genuine and kind. 

“Rey? I wouldn’t change a thing about you. Best roomie ever,” he added, bumping her shoulder with his. 

Some small part of her wanted to reach over and hold his hand after hearing him say that, and Rey found her fingers twitching to comply with the sudden urge, but instead she settled for patting his knee before resting her palm once more on the steering wheel. 

The rest of the way to IKEA was silent, with only the soft sounds of the radio filling the space between them, but it was a comfortable quiet. Rey pulled into a parking space that, while being the closest available one to the front doors, was still quite a trek from the entrance, and they both got out and walked side by side over potholes in the asphalt and puddles from the previous day’s rain. 

“So...about the chef.” 

“Finn,” Rey insisted. “We can’t get a fat chef for our kitchen.” 

“But whyyyy?” 

“Because it would be tacky!” 

“Yes! Yes it would be! Which is why it’s an amazing idea.” 

“Ugh,” she groaned. “Look, if I see one that just speaks to me, then maybe. But only maybe!” 

A wide smile overtook Finn’s features. 

“You’ll see.” 

The two of them walked inside of the massive building and immediately started looking around for things to decorate their home with, starting with paintings. They both agreed that warm colors would look good in their main living space, deciding to decorate the bathroom in cool blues and greens. 

Through their search, Rey found a red, orange, and yellow watercolor painting of a lion that both she and Finn loved, and Finn in turn found a set of small gold-painted statues to put on their mantle. In the bedroom area, they both simultaneously saw a couple of huge, overstuffed bean bags they immediately put onto their shopping trolley, all the while giggling to each other like mad men. 

“These are going to be so comfortable,” Rey sighed, turning into the kitchen area. 

“My body is ready,” was all Finn replied with. 

The next things they found were some salt and pepper shakers and some colorful cooking utensils complete with a vase to store them in. Finn was most excited, however, about one item in particular that didn’t surprise Rey at all. 

“Rey. Look at him.” 

Turning around from a display of coffee mugs, Rey looked at what Finn was holding in his hands. It was, predictably, a fat chef, but instead of being a stereotypical Italian man, it was a portly, bright green alien with large black eyes and a baggy white apron on. 

“Rey… I think we can agree that we need this little guy in our lives. Please… Please let us take him home.” 

Maybe it was the fact that the chef was, indeed, cute. Maybe it was the pleading look in Finn’s eyes and the slight pout to his lips. No matter the reason, Rey found herself taking the alien from Finn’s hands and putting it into the cart, a smile on her lips. 

“Fine…” 

Letting out a gleeful laugh, Finn clapped his hands together before sliding an arm around her shoulders and squeezing them. 

“Thank you!” 

“Yes, yes. You’re welcome,” she replied in a falsely-belated tone. 

At the end of their shopping trip, the two of them found themselves wheeling out several huge bags to Rey’s car, loading everything into either her trunk or her backseat. Everything, that is, except for two large potted plants which Finn insisted needed to ride with him in the passenger seat. 

“I don’t think they’ll fit with you up there,” Rey stated, watching as Finn tried to fit a large fern in his lap while a mini-palm tree sat in on the floorboard between his legs. The amusement in her voice was clear, and it made Finn look up at her with narrowed eyes. 

“Rey. I’m a man on a mission. I’ve got this.” 

“Whatever you say…” 

In the end, it did work out, and Rey took a picture of Finn as he sat beside her in the car, nearly swallowed whole by the amount of greenery he was trying to hold. 

“Why did they need to ride with you, again?” she asked, taking a video of his response. 

“They’re precious cargo, ok? I couldn’t just shove them into the backseat and ge their leaves all bent out of shape. I need to protect them!” 

Rey laughed and made sure to save the video before starting to drive, trying her best to slow down whenever Finn told her to and to take it easy on the speed bumps leading into their apartment complex. 

That evening, as the two of them were sitting on their couch with pizza on paper plates in their laps, they looked around at the newly-decorated home and smiled triumphantly. 

“It really does look good,” Finn stated between bites of his dinner. 

“I think so, too,” Rey assured him. As she reached for the remote to turn on the new show they’d been watching on Netflix, Finn suddenly jumped up from the couch. 

“Oh! I almost completely forgot. Hold on.” 

Setting his plate on their new coffee table, which Rey had assembled while Finn set up the bean bags and placed their houseplants in their proper places, her friend walked quickly into his bedroom, coming out with a little rectangular box. 

“I got this for you yesterday,” he said, handing it to her. She took it with wide eyes, turning the box over in her hands before looking up at him. 

“Finn… You shouldn’t have done this! I didn’t get you anything!” 

“Look, you didn’t have to. I wanted to get you something just for the sake of it. It’s not anything big. Just open it up and you’ll see.” 

Swallowing down any further protests, Rey opened the box to find a small, dark brown rope that had a clip on either end of it. 

“Finn? I… I love it, but I don’t necessarily know what it is,” she said, holding it up. 

“Well, the first time we met I noticed that you squinted a lot when you tried to read things, and you said it was because you lose your glasses a lot. So I got you one of those chains you hook onto them so you can hang them around your neck! No more losing your glasses.” 

Rey’s heart clenched at the sweetness of the gesture. She remembered telling him that, though it hadn’t been the truth. Ben had always told her she looked dorky with her glasses on, and ever since she’d avoided wearing them around people. But here Finn was, trying to help her with a simple yet thoughtful gift. 

Smiling down at the thin rope she held in her hands, she quickly stood up and went into her room, finding her glasses in their case within her nightstand. Coming back to the couch, she let Finn watch as she clipped the ends of her glasses to her gift, hanging it around her neck when she was done. 

“How do I look?” she asked, smiling broadly at him. 

Finn’s eyes looked over her face, down to where her glasses rested, and then back up to her eyes. 

“You look adorable,” he finally answered. 

Letting out a soft laugh, Rey leaned forward and threw her arms around him, feeling him return the hug after a few short moments. 

“I love it. Thank you so much, Finn.” 

Pulling back, Rey opened up her reading glasses and put them on, noticing how strange it felt to wear them after not doing so for so long. As she took them off once again, she didn’t notice the soft look of affection on her roommate’s face, and she didn’t think twice about how gentle his voice was when he gave her his response. 

“You’re welcome, Rey.”


	10. F is for Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn has dinner with his family, and invites Rey to come with him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers!!! Sorry for the long pause, myself as well as nicky_writes, have been through some 'stuff' here lately. Thankfully we had each other to rely on. So without further ado, here is chappy 9
> 
> As always, y'all enjoy :))
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome

Finn was just finishing his rounds on the tenth floor. He always made it a habit to double check all of the rooms that were to be cleaned and listed on his clipboard. He never wanted his manager to have anything to complain about. Showing up early, staying for overtime if need be, and making sure his rooms assigned to him were cleaned spotless. Now that he had a place of his own, that he was paying for, and a roommate who depended on him to pay his share of the rent, Finn wasn't taking any chances.

After he decided everything was as clean as it could get, he took the elevator to the bottom floor to put away his cleaning supplies in the janitor's closet. 

Right when he was about to turn his keys in for the day, he felt his phone go off in his pocket. He figured it was either Rey or Poe. 

Poe had been on his back about a boys night in. It was Thursday night, so if it was Poe, he thought that he would want him to come over and watch football. But if it was Rey, he knew that she was probably calling to remind him to pick up another box of Pop-Tarts. The quick and go breakfast food that was slowly growing on him, thanks to Rey. Unknowingly, Finn had eaten the last one on his way to work the other day, and Finn promised her that he would replace them...only he had forgotten for the entirety of the week.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket while he was walking to return his keys and punch out for the day expecting to see three letters pop up on his screen of either persons name. However, it wasn't the three letters he had been expecting. 

_[Incoming call: Mom]_

Finn smiled to himself, before pressing the green accept key. 

"Thank you for calling Taco Shack, how may I help you" Finn answered.

Without even needing to see her, Finn could tell that his mother had removed the phone from her ear to double check if she had misdialed or not.

"Ha-ha, very funny" he heard her reply.

"I thought you might like that" he said laughing.

"How are you doing, son?" she asked.

"I'm alright mom, how are you?" he replied. 

The conversation went on the way it normally did. With Finn's mother asking how his job was going, or if he was behind on rent, or if he was eating enough. To which Finn answered all of the questions honestly as it was his turn to ask his questions. How are both of his parents doing, how are his siblings doing, is anything new going on.

"Well Asajj thinks she's queen bee around the house now that Ahsoka moved out, so she and Vaylin have been bumping heads a lot here lately. And your father is just happy that at least he still has  _one_ of his sons here at the house because of how dangerously outnumbered he is" his mother replied laughing. 

Finn joined her in laughter. Even though he didn't live with his family anymore, hearing about everyone and everything made him happy at the familiar ways of the family that was his.

"So..." his mother began, Finn could detect where the conversation was headed because of the way her tone changed from light to more serious.

"How's everything going with your situation? Have you talked to your parole officer since you moved?" Finn rolled his eyes, just because he knew that his mother couldn't see him.

"Yeah mom, everything's okay. You remember? I talked to dad about all this stuff, everything's fine" he said, knowing that she would probably ask him again the next time she called.

"So are you all settled in?" his mother asked speaking up again. 

"Yeah. Finally got everything all unpacked and out of storage. Me and the roomie even went to IKEA the other day and got stuff to decorate the apartment" Finn said.

"Oh really? So when do I get to meet this girl?" his mother asked.

Finn couldn't help but smile as he rolled his eyes again. "Mom, it's not like that.  _We're_ not like that. We aren't a couple or anything. We're just roommates" Finn answered feeling a bit bad for referring to Rey as  _just_ a roommate, since the two of them were also becoming fast friends. But if he told his mother that, she would have assumed that something else was going on.

"Are you sure she's not causing you any trouble, or anything?" his mother asked.

"No mom, I promise" Finn said holding up his hand, even though his mother couldn't see him. He and all of his siblings would always do that whenever they wanted their parents to believe what they were saying was the truth. 

"She's a good girl mom" Finn said.

"Alright. Well since you are finally all settled in are you finally going to be able to make it to dinner on Sunday?" his mother asked.

Finn though a second. All he had to do on Sunday was a bit of laundry, so he could wake up a little early to get that taken care of. And he hadn't made plans with anyone, neither Rey or Poe or anyone else. And as he had told his mother everything he had was finally all unpacked out of storage and taken care of.

"Oh come on son! Your family misses you" his mother said when Finn didn't immediately reply with an answer.

"Okay, okay mom" Finn said finally brought out of his thoughts. "I'll be there, don't worry. Now that I'm settled, we can resume Sunday dinners as a family" he said.

"Great!" he could tell that his mother was smiling over the phone. 

"Ugh!! I've missed having all of my kids under one roof" his mother said. "And you know what? Since you're finally coming over for Sunday dinner, bring that girl with you, I'd like to meet her." Finn felt his eyes grow to the size of saucers.

"Umm mom, I don't think that's such a good idea..."

"I thought you said she was a nice girl?" 

"She is...it's just that we aren't a couple. It'll be weird!" Finn said back quickly.

"It won't be weird! It's just your family meeting your roommate. Ask her son, I've got to go. Love you and see you Sunday. Bye-bye" and with that, his mother hung up the phone.

'Great' Finn thought to himself. Now his has to ask Rey to have dinner with his family on Sunday. Which he would have no problem doing under  _normal_ circumstances. He and Rey had dinner together before, almost every night. There was even that one time that they went out and had dinner together. (Someone had pulled the fire alarm in their building, just as Finn was about to begin cooking) They weren't allowed to re-enter the apartment until the fire department deemed everything safe. But Finn recalls Rey being very hungry that particular evening, and also remembered what she said about being mad when she gets hungry. It was just as Finn assumed it would be. She was absolutely adorable when she was 'hangry.' 

So having dinner with Rey had never been weird and would continue to not be weird. But having dinner with his family, and inviting her along somehow felt different. Like he would be implying something by asking her to come and have dinner and to meet his family. Maybe he was thinking too hard about the situation. Maybe Rey wouldn't mind at all.

Either way, his mother had asked him to do something. And like it or not, he had to do it. 

Once Finn was out of the building he made his way to the store. Having Rey on the brain made him finally remember to replace her Pop-Tarts. When he got home, he unlocked the door to find Rey watering the plants that they had bought the previous weekend. She heard the door close and looked up to see him arriving home. She gave him a smile as she sat the water jug down and walked over to him. 

"The children have been attended to" she said.

Finn smiled. Ever since he suggested that the plants were 'precious cargo' and had to sit up front in the seat with him when they brought them home, Rey began teasing him saying that he was acting like the plants were like kids. So ever since then, they began referring to the plants as 'their children.' 

The ferns name was 'Chewie' and the cactus' name was 'Yoda.' 

"Thank you" he said taking his hands from behind his back revealing the box of Pop-Tarts to her.

Her face lit up, finally receiving what she was owed. "No, no, no" she began. "Thank 'you.'" 

She took the box from Finn and walked past him towards the kitchen to store the Pop-Tarts in the pantry. Finn removed his shoes and jacket, taking both of them to his room to put in their proper places. After that he went to the sink in the kitchen to wash his hands. Then poured himself a glass of water and plopped down on the couch.

"Rough day?" Rey asked. 

"Yeah. There was an accident somewhere downtown, so we had to have a lot of rooms available, and all of the operating rooms had to be cleaned" he said. 

Rey walked from behind him turning the TV on and then handing him the remote. As she walked back to the kitchen she gently patted Finn's shoulder like she always did when she knew he had a rough day.

He smiled as he sipped on his water. Thinking of how good everything was between he and his roommate. How simply and quickly they had fallen into a routine with one another, and how good they both got along. He was going to listen to his mother, but he hoped that it wouldn't cost him the easy going relationship that he and Rey had created.

He turned his head over his left shoulder to look back towards her. She was emptying out the leftover water from the jug into the sink. 

"Hey Rey" he called to her.

"Yes?" she said not looking at him.

"Are you doing anything this Sunday?" he asked, feeling the nervousness at the situation crawl up his back.

"I don't think so, why?" she asked now holding his gaze. Now that she was looking at him, it made him even more nervous.

'Just get to the point Finn. Don't draw out the whole story. Just ask her!' he thought to himself.

"Well..." he took a deep breath. "My family normally gets together on Sundays for dinner, and I haven't been in a while because of the move and everything. So I told my mom that I could finally make it this weekend, and she asked me to ask you if you'd like to join us?" he said, holding the deep breath that he had taken, waiting for her answer.

She finished dumping the remaining water out of the jug before quickly answering, "I'd love to" she said with a smile. 

"Great" Finn said, like it was no big deal. Like he wasn't secretly dreading how she would react to the situation.

After they had both gotten comfortable and settled in the for the night, Rey asked Finn to elaborate on his family. So setting his glass down, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and began looking for a picture of the whole family together. Once he had found one, he handed his phone to Rey before she pulled her glasses on her face from the chain they were hanging off of.

"That's my dad Lando, and my mom Qi'ra" he said pointing to his parents. Then went down the line explaining which sibling was which. "This is Ahsoka, she was born when I was five, she's 18. This is Asajj, she's 13. This is Vaylin, she's 8. And this is Ezra, he's 5."

Rey smiled as she looked at each and everyone of his family members. Her eyes lingered on Finn's father a bit longer than the rest. "You look just like your father" she said.

Finn looked over and Rey and smiled. "Yeah" he said. "My dad said that when I was younger I looked like my mom." Rey squinted her eyes even though she was wearing her glasses. Even if she could see Finn in her mind's eye as an infant, she couldn't help but notice that he looked nothing like the woman in the picture.

Finn noticed Rey staring before clearing his throat. "Well, my  _birth_ mom" he corrected. Rey looked away from the picture and up at Finn. "I never knew her, but for as far back as I can remember, Qi'ra has always been the woman who I call 'Mom'" he said.

"That's when I got this" Finn said pulling down the left side of his shirt to reveal the tattoo he had over his heart. "After my little brother was born, my mom said she needed to talk to me. She said that she was going to have another child, and I remember asking her, why she didn't tell the whole family. She said because she would like me to be her child. I told her I thought that I always was, and then she said, 'But I want you to 'legally' be my son. If you'd want me to.'" Finn smiled back at the memory.

"But I'm already 18, it doesn't make any since to adopt me now" Finn said back.

"That doesn't mean I still don't want you to be my son" she replied. "I should have done this ages ago, but I was afraid of what your answer would be. But now that you're an adult, hopefully you'll be able to understand why I want to do this" she said grazing her hand over his face. "So...what do you say?" she asked. Finn simply looked up at her and smiled before hugging his mother.

 _Mama- 06/12/2013_ is what the tattoo said.

"It's the day we both signed the adoption papers" he explained to Rey. He looked up at her to discover she was no longer holding his gaze. If he didn't know any better, she almost looked...sad. Finn released the collar of his shirt just as he was about to say something, but Rey moved away. He was about to ask her if everything was okay, before she spoke up.

"All that family" she said giving him a sad smile. "What I would give for a family like that" and with that, she went to her room.

 

 

Once the weekend had finally arrived, Finn was getting ready to go over to his family's house. He bent down to tie his shoes when he called for Rey.

"Rey! Are you coming?!" he asked. All was quiet before she peeked around her door. 

"Hi Finn" she said quietly. 

"There you are" Finn said. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Rey looked down at her feet. "Actually, something came up."

Finn looked at her confused. The last time he checked they were still on for their plans to have dinner with his family.

"Something about where I lived before here. The lease or payment plan, or something like that. I've gotta go check it out. Do you mind?" she asked looking up at him.

"No, no. Not at all. I'll, uhh...see you tonight then, okay?" he asked. 

Rey nodded her head before she went back into her room.

Finn walked slowly down the hallway before making his way to press the elevator button. He put his hands in his pockets as he walked over to his car. What was he so upset about? He didn't want to make things weird with Rey, he didn't want her to meet his parents like they were some sort of couple anyway. But as he drove down the rode to where his parents lived, he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. He had to cheer himself up somehow though, before he went to his parents house. A disappointed face plus a lack of a roommate, and his mom might end up  _assuming_ something. 

"Son!" his mother screamed when she opened the door pulling him in for a hug. Finn's mother used to always hug him like this, but now she always seemed to hug him a bit longer and a bit tighter. Now knowing that her son could be taken away at any moment, at any time. 

"Finn!" his siblings all erupted harmoniously as they made their way over to him all clinging to him. His father was the last one to make his way over to him. Since there was no more of Finn to hug or cling to, he decided for a simple clap on the shoulder.

"How are ya doing son?" he asked.

"Great dad. I'm starving. What are we throwing on the grill tonight?" Finn replied.

His father was about to lead him out back before Finn's mother grabbed his arm. "Where's your roommate!? I know you didn't make  _her_ park the car did you?!"

Finn felt his face fall before he quickly picked it back up again to appear as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh she's not coming...she uhh, had other plans" Finn said. 


	11. The Ghost of A Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Family. It was a word that simultaneously filled Rey with both dread and longing. Typically, family meant the same thing that home did. At least, that was how Rey understood it to be for most people. For her, though, it would only ever be an idea, a concept. 

Finn was different, though. Rey saw it in his eyes every time he told her about his parents and siblings. It was something that was as much a part of him as his bright, kind smile or his goofy sense of humor. And it left her wondering who she was if such an important part of her simply didn’t exist. 

Of course, she did have a family. She wasn’t just borne from nothing; she did have parents and grandparents. Well… She had them at one point. Her mother died in childbirth to her, and her father had never fully recovered. For the first several years of her life, she’d lived with her mother’s parents in England, but then they, too, passed away, leaving her to Luke. 

Growing up with Luke Skywalker as her father had been a cold experience - a sterile, abstract view of what a childhood should have been. She’d had toys, books, a nice bedroom. But she’d had no one to play with her, no one to read to her, and no one to tuck her in at night. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that Luke had done his best. He would try to make it home from his job in time to have dinner with her, and he’d always asked the standard questions. ‘How was your day?’ ‘What did you get on your report card?’ ‘Have you applied to those colleges yet?’ 

But there wasn’t really ever any love behind the words. Rey doubted if he even cared about the answers. Eventually, she started to make up excuses to miss dinners with Luke so she could sneak out and spend time with Ben, a small part of her hoping that her Dad would put his foot down and make her keep with their evening schedule. But he just let it go, not even trying to hold onto his time with her. 

And ever since she’d moved out into Ben’s house, she’d all but become a complete stranger to her dad. On the night that Finn invited her to his parent’s house for dinner, she sat in bed and realized that it had been six months since she last spoke to Luke. These thoughts of family were swirling through her brain, nagging her and pulling at ancient wounds that had never really scarred over, until she found herself reaching for her cell phone, pulling up her dad’s number. 

Debating whether or not to call him for a second, Rey finally sighed and decided to send him a text. 

‘Hey, Dad,’ it read. ‘It’s Rey. Just wanted to check in and let you know I’m doing ok. How are you?’

Setting her phone down on her nightstand, she closed her eyes and hugged her pillow, not expecting a response until the next morning. 

___________

“All I’m saying is that I don’t agree with your questionable taste in Pop Tarts.” 

“Why?” Rey laughed, taking a bite of her strawberry pastry as Finn watched on judgmentally. “The fruity ones are the best! Besides, if there’s a bit of fruit in it, I can convince myself that it’s at least slightly healthy.” 

“Well, first of all, I can assure you that it’s not. Secondly, the hot fudge Pop Tarts are the only Pop Tarts worth spending your time on,” Finn insisted. “But whatever floats your boat.” 

Rey watched fondly as Finn pulled on his jacket and headed towards the door. It was Sunday morning, meaning that he was going to the hospital to get some overtime in the morning. Then, he would come home and meet up with her before heading over to his family’s house. 

“You’re delusional!” she called after him as he stepped out of their apartment. 

“Yeah, you have a great day too,” was his sarcastic rebuttal, and the last thing Rey heard before the door closed was the sound of his fond chuckle. 

Sipping on her coffee and finishing her sugary breakfast, Rey turned her attention to the cartoon she was watching. Sunday mornings were some of her favorite times. They were when she could simply relax and spend a few hours being nothing but lazy. And that’s exactly what she did, until she felt her phone start to buzz around 10 o’clock. 

Pulling it out of her hoodie’s pocket, Rey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw who it was that was calling her - her father. She hadn’t gotten a response from him after her last text message to him, but that was to be expected. Sometimes he would go days without replying. She knew that a large part of it was his hectic work schedule, so she never harassed him for a response. But typically he would just send her back a brief text saying that he was doing well. 

After accepting the call, Rey held her phone up to her ear, trying not to sound either surprised or suspicious when she spoke. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, Rey.” 

Her Dad’s voice was just as she remembered it. 

“Hello, Dad. How are you?” 

“I’m alright. I got your text the other day and thought I’d give you a call.” 

“Oh. That’s...sweet of you. It’s been a while since I heard your voice.” 

“It has been, yeah.” 

An awkward silence stretched out over the course of the next few seconds before, finally, Luke spoke again. 

“So I tried to call your home phone before calling this number, but Ben said you didn’t live in that house anymore?” 

Rey felt as if her blood had run cold. She hadn’t told Luke she’d broken up with Ben. She hadn’t even told him about her new place. How could she have forgotten? 

“I… Yes. Well… I’m sorry.” 

“It’s ok; I was just...surprised, is all. He mentioned that you two were taking a break. Are you alright?” 

“Taking a break?” Rey had to stifle a cynical laugh of disbelief. She never wanted to see that monster again, and yet it sounded like he still didn’t understand that he was out of her life for good.

“No, we actually broke up,” Rey corrected Luke, getting up to pour herself some more coffee. 

“Oh. ...That’s too bad.” 

“Is it? I thought you didn’t like Ben.” 

“You’re not wrong. But I know that it must’ve been tough. Do I, uh...need to have a talk with him? Did he-”

“I handled it, Dad. I can take care of myself.” 

It came out more aggressive than she’d meant for it to, but Rey found it strangely liberating to be able to tell her father that she could care for herself. She was living on her own, now. Paying for her own bills. Of course, Finn was there, but having a roommate was different. She was still independant, and she felt a small spark of pride within her upon telling her father that she was making it on her own, away from her boyfriend. 

“Um… Ok. Well I’m glad you got it all sorted out. And, hey, I actually know where Coruscant Villas are. They’re really nice.” 

“Oh, thank you. I-” 

Rey paused, eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. 

“Wait. How did you know that I’m living in Coruscant Villas?” 

“Ben mentioned it to me. I’d asked him for your new address, so…”

Rey stopped listening to what Luke was saying, eyes wide as she realized the implications of what he’d just said. She hadn’t given Ben her address; in fact, she would never in a million years give it to him. So how had he gotten it? How did Ben know where she lived? 

“Rey? ...Rey, are you still there?” 

With a start, Rey realized that she’d gone completely silent, not hearing at all what her father has been telling her. 

“Um… Y-yes, I’m still here. Dad, I actually just forgot that I had a...a load of laundry in the washing machine downstairs. I have to let you go. But I’ll talk to you later?” 

“Oh… Ok. Yeah, I’ll see you around. Bye.” 

“Bye.” 

With that, Rey slowly set her phone down, feeling unsafe for the first time since moving into her new home. Ben’s was a shadow that she thought had stopped looming over her life. But now that she knew that he knew where to find her, she couldn’t help but glance up at the front door, making sure that Finn had locked it on his way out. He, of course, had, but the action in and of itself made her hug her coffee mug tighter between her hands. 

That night, she told Finn that she couldn’t go with him to his parent’s house, instead spending the evening in her bedroom. What did she do? Was she just being paranoid, or was there really a need for her to be scared? 

She spent such a long time just thinking and staring at her ceiling that she didn’t even hear the front door unlock. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock sound at her bedroom door, and it was with a shaky voice that she answered it.

“Who… Who’s there?” 

“The only other person with a key to the apartment?” came Finn’s familiar voice. Sighing in relief, Rey stood up and walked over, opening the door and looking up into his smiling face. 

“Hey. Did you get that stuff straightened out?” Finn asked, and if she was a weaker woman, Rey would have simply shook her head and asked him for a hug. But she was strong, and she didn’t want to worry Finn or overreact to the situation. 

“Mostly,” was the answer she went with, eyes darting down to see the covered plate her roomie held in his hands. 

“Oh,” he remarked, gesturing to it. “These are leftovers. My mom insisted that I bring you a plate. She said that, tonight, you would experience her cooking one way or another. So… Should I heat this up for you? Have you eaten yet?” 

“I… Yes?” 

“That’s a no then,” Finn chuckled, starting to walk back to the kitchen and motioning for her to follow him. “C’mon. Can’t have my roommate going hungry.” 

Feeling a twinge in her chest at the sweetness of Finn’s concern, Rey smiled and followed him into the kitchen, flicking the light off in her room as she left it, thinking that maybe a home-cooked meal would at least be a bit comforting, though not as much as the company of her newest friend would be. 

_________

Outside, across the street, Ben watched as Rey’s bedroom light went out, trying to squint to see her shadow as she moved throughout her house. He could just make it out - the slender form of a girl moving past the hallway window. Try as he might, though, he could never quite see what her roommate looked like. All he knew was that he had dark skin and that he drove an even shittier car than Rey did. 

But he wasn’t the one who mattered. To Ben, it was only about Rey. Turning his radio up, he pulled his truck into gear and drove off, waving to the guard at the guard shack as he left the apartment complex. It was only a matter of time until Rey left this place to come back to him. He’d make sure of it. And, in the meantime, what was wrong with keeping an eye on her?


	12. Exhale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn's parole officer needs to see him...at his home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody!! I'm sitting on nicky_writes' couch uploading my chapter, she abandoned me to go to the zoo. But she promised me she'd free the kangaroos, so I'm not mad lol
> 
> As always, y'all enjoy:))

'It's a good thing I took that overtime on Sunday' Finn thought to himself. He continued to toss and turn in his bed, unable to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Finn was not looking forward to this particular day. But he knew it was going to inevitably happen sooner or later. And he also knew that it would happen again, and again, and again for at least another two years. But so far, whenever his parole officer stopped by, he knew that he was your typical  _model parolee,_ even if his parole officer never said it, Finn knew.

He placed his pillow over his face when sunlight began peeking through his window. He needed to get at least  _some_ sleep. Otherwise he would look tired, and if he looked tired his parole officer would think that he was out late doing something he had no business doing. 

As one could imagine, visits from his parole officer caused Finn to tilt a little bit towards the paranoid side of things. Which is why he hated his visits in general.

Finn told himself to relax countless times and the minuets went by. He took deep breaths in through his nose, and released it through his mouth. He had found a comfortable position to lay in, pulled his covers up, and found himself drifting. Drifting, drifting, drifting...until he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. This hand began shaking his shoulder lightly as he heard his name being whispered softly. 

Had he been a bit more awake, he would've taken into account how strange something like this was. He didn't remember bringing anyone one or falling asleep next to anyone. But despite all of this, he found himself smiling. To hear such a lovely voice say his name in such a soothing way almost was enough to make him fall completely asleep. However, the shaking of his shoulder commenced again, except this time it was a bit more abrasive. Finn removed the pillow from atop his head, then went to rub the sleep out of his eyes. When his vision cleared he thought that he was for sure still sleeping. 

Rey was leaning over him in nothing but her pajamas. Finn thought to himself for a second. She had never really ever come into his room. Only knocked, opened and stood at the entrance to announce that dinner was ready or something like that. And the same went for him.

He had seen Rey in her pajamas before, but to see her leaning over him, knowing that she had just woken up was a nice way to start his morning, even if it was just all a dream. 

However, once she placed her hand on the side of his face, he knew for a fact that this was no dream. Rey was really here. In his room. Leaning over him. While he was in his bed.

"Finn" she whispered again.

"Finn, I think you've overslept" she said taking her hand away once she could tell that he was more awake than when she had first come in.

Finn shook his head, clearing out the fog that a combination of sleep, and his oblivious roommate had caused. 

Of course he had overslept because he wasn't going in to work today. He was had to stay home so that his parole officer could inspect his new living conditions, and drug test him, and ask him uncomfortable questions all while picking apart his life and bruising his self-esteem. Finn had talked to his manager and informed him that he wouldn't be able to come in during his normal hours because of this, which his manager was well aware of. Finn had even suggested coming in and working the evening shift or pulling a double the next day if need be. But his manager was a kind and understanding man, and said that there was no need for that. He informed Finn to go and take care of what needed to be handled and he that he would see him bright and early the next day.

So at least that aspect of his day was taken care of. But he had never taken Rey's proximity of his situation into account. He didn't think that out of the kindness of her heart that she would come into his room and wake him up when she didn't have to, to ensure that he wouldn't be late for work. There was a reason for this, but he didn't want to tell her. Not yet, anyway. And of course he felt horrible for it. But he also thought to himself, 'It's not lying to her. Its just withholding certain information.' Besides, if he would've told a potential roommate this information right away, he would probably still be living with Poe and Jessika. 

Finn sat up in his bed a bit to be at eye level with her. He pulled his sheets up a bit higher to keep himself from being exposed, seeing how he had gone to sleep that night in just his boxers.

"Oh, yeah. I called my manager already" Finn said. 

"I'm not feeling well today. I've got a terrible headache, I feel like I can barely see straight" he said. 

 _This_ however, was a lie. And Finn felt bad for lying to her. It also made him feel worse with the way Rey looked at him. Like she could feel his pain, and wanted to take it away. She looked at him with such sympathy, Finn wouldn't have been surprised if she was going to tell him she was going to take the day off as well, to take care of him.

"I'm so sorry Finn" she whispered.

"I didn't mean to wake you...I just" she said.

Finn held his hand up and smiled. "It's okay, it's okay. You were just looking out for me, I understand. It's what roomies do" he said. 

Rey gave him a weak smile back before turning to leave. Right before she shut the door behind herself she said, "Call or text me if you need anything, okay?"

Finn smiled at her for being so sweet to him, even though he was lying to her, and withholding a truth. "Okay, I will. Have a good day" he said to her.

"You too" she smiled, and with that, she shut his door. 

Once Rey had left Finn made a futile attempt to go back to sleep. He knew it didn't matter what he was doing when his parole officer showed up, because he would have to drop whatever he was doing to be at the mercy of the man sent to do his job. 

Seeing how trying to go back to sleep was useless, Finn drug himself out of bed. He went to the kitchen to get himself some breakfast before he noticed the message Rey had left him on the refrigerator with the magnets. 

_Kids are fed, feel better_

_Rey_

He smiled to himself again. It was his turn to take care of the 'kids', or water the plants today, but his kindhearted roommate went ahead and took care of that for him.

After Finn had his breakfast, he decided to straighten up a bit. Aside from Rey's room, the apartment normally stayed pretty clean, but Finn figured there was no harm in straightening up a bit. 

Once Finn had loaded the last of the silverware into the dishwasher he heard a rather loud knock at the door. Finn internally sighed to himself, 'here we go' he thought. Time to grit his teeth and bare the load. To put on a fake smile for this awful man for the next twenty or thirty minuets, or however long he would be there. He quickly turned the knob to the dishwasher, walked around the counter to answer the door. 

"Good morning, Mr. Hux" Finn said.

The tall, pale, red-haired man who was standing ramrod straight said nothing. He simply waited for Finn to step to the side so he walk in.

"So this is my place...where I live now. Umm...would you like some coffee, or water, or anything?" Finn said, trying his best to ease the tension that had walked through the door when Mr. Hux did.

"File case number FN-2187, I am not here for social pleasantries, it would be much less painful for both you and I, if we both acknowledge the reason that I am here for" said Mr. Hux. 

Finn lowered his head to look at his feet. This man made him feel so inferior, in his own house! "Yes sir" Finn said quietly. 

"Very well" Mr. Hux continued.

"I need you take this container to the bathroom, and fill it up. You should be familiar with this routine by now, so you'll know to leave the door open" Mr. Hux said coldly.

Finn took the container from Mr. Hux and walked to the bathroom. At least he was getting this part of the visit over with first. It was always so embarrassing. Even though Finn's charge had absolutely nothing to do with drugs, when he asked why this was part of the visit from his parole officer, he never got an answer. After he gave the full container back to Mr. Hux, he began thinking to himself, 'thank goodness Rey isn't here.' But even though she wasn't here this time, doesn't mean that he could hide this from her forever. Sometimes a parole officer would make a surprise visit without announcement, probably to catch the parolee doing something that they shouldn't be doing. Mr. Hux could just randomly show up one day. Letting Rey know in possible the most uncomfortable way possible that she's living with a man who was arrested for assault. What would she think of him then?

"Living conditions here are adequate. Everything seems to be in order. No paraphernalia of any kind found on the premises" Mr. Hux said. Finn rolled his eyes at that last statement. 

"What is this room here?" Mr. Hux asked. 

"Oh, that's my roommate Rey's room" Finn said. 

As Mr. Hux went to open the door, Finn felt his chest tighten. Mr. Hux was there to do his job in picking apart  _Finn's_ life,  _not_ Rey's. She had absolutely nothing to do with this. 

"Umm...Mr. Hux, this is  _her_ space. If you want to see my room it's just down the hall" Finn told the man, hating how nervous he sounded. It was just odd. Mr. Hux had no right to go through Rey's things, or even to touch them at the very least, but when Mr. Hux informed him that every aspect of his living quarters had to be examined, Finn had no reply. It still didn't make the feeling go away. Even though Mr. Hux didn't touch any of her things, just him being in Rey's room made Finn feel... _uneasy_ to say the least. 

Once he walked out of Rey's room Finn shut the door behind him, feeling a jolt of anger run through him once he saw how Mr. Hux smugly eyed Finn on his way out. 'Rey has nothing to do with this' Finn wanted to say. 'You need to respect her privacy' he wanted to say, so badly.

"Inspection is complete" Mr. Hux said writing a few things down on the clipboard he had brought with him. He then tore the bottom of the page off and handed it to Finn before telling him that he passed his inspection.

"I will only inform you of our next visit if it interferes with your job. You still are working in sanitation at the local hospital, are you not?" Mr. Hux asked.

"Yes sir, I am. My boss is very understanding of my situation and wouldn't have an issue with if this does take time away from my job. He told me that as long as I continue to pass all of my inspections, I will continue to have a job there." Finn explained. 

"Very well. I shall inform you if such ends up being the case. But if not, I will come by unannounced" Mr. Hux said, and with that, he turned around and walked out the door.

For the first time all day, Finn felt himself relax. He felt like he had finally let loose a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

As the day went on, Rey finally came home from work holding a grocery bag in her hand. 

"Hi Finn, are you feeling any better?" she asked smiling at him.

The truth was he had felt better the second that Mr. Hux walked out the door. But he decided instead to go with a simple, "Yes."

"Okay, well just incase your headache pops back up again, I got all of these for you. Advil, Aleve, and Tylenol. I know some people have their preferences, so I wanted you to have options" she said.

"Rey, you didn't have to do that" Finn said.

"I know I didn't  _have_ to silly, I wanted to" she said walking past him. 

"And since you aren't well I've already ordered dinner for us. The pizza should be here in a few minuets" she called from down the hall.

Even though she was trying to take care of him to make him feel better, it was actually making him feel worse. He felt so guilty from the moment he woke up all the way until now. Here she was buying him medicine that he didn't need, doing his share of the chores around the house, and ordering dinner on his night to cook. But what eased the guilt from his troubled mind was when Rey plopped down on the couch beside him. She looked over to him and smiled, just before saying, "Finn, I'm really glad we're roomies."

It made Finn think if she would still feel the same way, if she knew the truth. 

 


	13. An Unexpected Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! From the clutched of writer's block, I've emerged with a new chapter. This time, featuring a figure from Rey's past. One she thought was behind her... By the way, guys, thank you all so much for your comments! They make my and The_Readers_Writer's day! Let us know how you like this one!

Rey knew that she was being paranoid. She hated the way her eyes would widen in fear every time she heard Finn’s key enter their locked front door. She hated the fact that she’d used a bit of her last paycheck to invest in a can of pepper spray. But as time went on and she thought more and more about how Ben had her address, the more on-edge she felt. 

Despite her unease, though, she tried to put on a happy face for Finn. She didn’t want him to know what was going on. Of course, she was aware that Finn would think no less of her if he knew the whole situation, but… She didn’t want to be “that person” to Finn. She didn’t want to be Rey, the abuse victim. Rey, the girl who was still letting her ex leave his toxic mark on her life. No. She wanted Finn to see her as… 

How did she want him to see her? Along with her feelings of paranoia, new feelings were starting to bloom in her with every passing day of domestic peace with Finn. She felt it at the strangest of moments – when he would go out of his way to cook something he knew she liked, when he would offer to run her laundry down with his to the laundry room, when he would call her at the grocery store and ask what kind of coffee creamer she’d like to try that week. Every time Finn would show in his own special way that he cared, she felt her heart give a little twinge that hinted at wanting more. 

But no. No, Rey couldn’t allow herself to think that way. Everything they had was so perfect. And besides, she wasn’t ready for anything with anybody. Even if they happened to be her sweet, funny, caring roommate. 

Those twinges did make it hard, though. Today, Rey felt one when she was standing on tip-toe in front of the window in the living room, inspecting the latch that would open it. It had been rusted and painted shut long ago, but she couldn’t be too careful. 

All of a sudden, though, she heard a deep, booming voice come from behind her. 

“AND JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

Leaping nearly five feet out of her skin, Rey spun around to find Finn standing in the living room, holding two plastic bags in his hands and wearing a large grin. His smile faded, though, when he saw the scared look on Rey’s face. 

“Hey, Rey, you ok? I was only joking around when I came in,” he said, eyebrows bunching together in concern. 

Forcing her heart to stop beating at a frankly alarming rate, Rey took a deep breath and smiled at her roommate, stepping away from the window. 

“I’m fine. You just surprised me is all!” she quickly assured him, setting her hands on her hips. 

“Well… Alright,” Finn conceded, still looking dubious. “What were you doing anyways?” 

“Oh, just…checking the locks. You can never be too careful, you know,” she stated. 

“Rey, those windows don’t even open,” Finn said, arching a brow skeptically. “Didn’t you see that they’re painted shut?” 

“Well, yes, but I was just double-checking!”

“…Rey, what has been up with-“

“What’s in the bags?” Rey interrupted, walking closer. She wasn’t ready to tell him about Ben. Not yet. And when Finn’s face lit up upon her mentioning the bags, it was worth it to see happiness return to his features once more. 

“Oh! Well, I thought that we could have a taco night. Like, an actual, proper taco night. With fillings and toppings and good beer. What do you think?” 

Grinning softly, Rey set a hand on Finn’s arm, not catching the way his eyes darted from it to her face as his cheeks reddened slightly. 

“I think that sounds perfect, Finn.”

An hour later, the two of them were sat upon their couch together, watching Dexter and stuffing their faces with the, in Rey’s opinion, fantastic tacos they’d just made. If it were anyone else with her, Rey would be self-conscious about how many she’d eaten and how many she still had yet to consume. But with Finn, she knew that the furthest thing from his mind was judgement. Letting her knee rest against his as she rested back against the cushions, she studied his face out of the corner of her eye, hoping that she was being subtle about it. 

“This show is wild,” he murmured, shaking his head. “How has Dexter gotten away with being who he is for so long without getting caught?” 

“Well, he’s crafty,” Rey responded, eyes snapping back to the screen. “And he’s smart about it.” 

“Still. He doesn’t, like… Have feelings. I mean, he’s good at pretending that he does, but you’d think someone would see through that front he puts up.” 

Even though they were both talking about Dexter, Rey couldn’t help the stab of guilt that pierced through her at that. Wasn’t she putting up a front of her own? Hiding the truth of her past from the man who was now one of her dearest friends? Maybe… Maybe it would be best for him to know the truth about Ben, about what had led to her living with him. That way, now that she was scared of his return into her life, she wouldn’t have to face her fears alone. 

But… No. No, she was going to do this on her own. She was going to prove to herself and everyone else that she was self-reliant. That she was strong. And that meant leaving her past behind her and managing to live in the present. 

Finishing up her second plate of dinner, Rey was just about ready to go back to the kitchen in search of dessert when a sound came from her front door – a knock. She paused where she stood, and all of the dread that she’d been feeling over the past few days came rushing to the forefront of her mind. Was it Ben, ready at last to ruin the life she’d so carefully carved out for herself? She didn’t think she could handle it if it was him, standing there in the doorway with his biting words and clenched hands and-

“Were you expecting company?” Finn asked, standing up with a grunt from the couch. 

“…No,” Rey all but whispered, eyes wide and trained on the door. “No, I’m sure I wasn’t.” 

“Well, I’ll go see who it is,” he sighed, heading that way. “Can you grab me a pint of Ben n’ Jerry’s?” 

“O-of course,” Rey responded, glad for an opportunity to flee to the kitchen. She nearly ran in its direction, pausing just on the other side of the doorway and poking her head out to watch Finn. 

From her vantage point, Rey couldn’t see past Finn’s shoulders to whoever stood outside, but she would know that voice from anywhere. 

“Hello,” Finn was saying. “Can I help you?” 

“Who are you?” 

“Uh… The person that lives here. Are you looking for someone else? The only other person that’s here is-“ 

“Dad?” 

Rey had walked out of the kitchen upon hearing that voice, and when Finn turned to look at her, she was able to see the face of none other than her father standing there on her porch, glancing between her and Finn with an unspoken question resting within his eyes. 

“Hi, Rey.” 

_________________

 

“Can I get you anything? We were just having dinner; I can get you some leftovers if-“

“No, I’m good. But thank you, Rey,” Luke responded, looking vaguely uncomfortable as he sat on her sofa. 

After a brief and awkward introduction with Luke, Finn had retreated to his room to give the pair some privacy to talk, leaving Rey to lead her Dad into their living room. As she sat next to him, all she could do was wonder why he’d come there to her. He lived a good four hour’s drive away, and there were no special occasions coming up that would require them to see one another. 

“So how have you been, Rey?” Luke asked, drumming his fingers against his prosthetic hand thoughtfully.

“I’ve been…” Traumatized by my ex? Paranoid my past has come back to haunt me? Afraid to let the man I’m starting to develop feelings for close enough to get a glimpse into what led to us meeting in the first place? 

“I’ve been fine,” she responded after a brief pause. “How are you?” 

“I’m good, thanks,” Luke answered. “I got a new hand, actually.” 

Rey’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes surveyed the fake limb a bit more critically, noting how new and clean it looked. In an accident before she was born, Luke had lost his hand in an accident he’d never told her about. Growing up, her dad’s prosthetic had never really made her think twice. It was normal to her, and he didn’t mention it too often. Which was why it was so strange for him to bring it up now. He must really not have known what to say if he’d had to reach that far to find something to talk about. 

“It looks good,” she commented. Another pause threatened to loom over their conversation, so Rey finally spoke her mind, trying to say what she was thinking in a polite way. 

“Dad… If you don’t mind my asking, why… Why are you here?” 

Luke’s eyes glanced up to hers for a brief moment, hesitating and carefully picking his words before giving his answer. 

“On the phone the other day, you just sounded… Off. I got a little worried, and I wanted to see with my own two eyes that you were doing ok. I just had a feeling that you were…hurt. In some way. I’m sorry for this being so unexpected.” 

Rey should have been irritated at the intrusion, but… She smiled instead. Her father did care about her in his own way, she supposed. Especially if he’d driven all that way just because he was worried about how she was handling her breakup. She had a brief moment where she wanted to reach out and hug him, but Luke had never been one for hugs. So instead she glanced over his face once more before talking. 

“You’ve grown a beard,” she stated. A small smile spread over his face at this, and her father nodded, running a hand through it in thought. 

“Yeah, I did. Doesn’t look too terrible, does it?” 

“Not at all. It looks good, I think,” Rey assured him. 

For a second, the pair was silent again, but then Luke let his left palm smack against his thigh, rousing her from her thoughts. 

“Well, it’s getting late, so I won’t stay any longer. But I’m going to be in town for a few more weeks, and I wanted to talk to you about something when you have a few hours. Until then… Goodnight?” 

“Oh. Oh, sure,” Rey said, standing up with her father and immediately wondering what it was that he wanted to talk about. “Goodnight. I have to work tomorrow, but maybe we can have dinner afterwards?” 

“That’ll work. Tell that woman that you work with hello for me. Maz, right? She’s your friend that you mentioned last Christmas?” 

“That’s her. I’ll make sure to tell her.” 

“Please do. I’ll see you tomorrow, Rey.” 

“See you soon.” 

With that, Rey walked him to the door and made sure to lock it as she listened to the fading sounds of his footsteps as he headed back down to the parking lot. Not a minute later, Finn’s door opened with a creak, and she turned to see him watching her with a questioning look in his eyes. 

“So… That was your Dad, huh?” 

“Yeah,” she sighed, playing with the hem of her shirt nervously. “I haven’t seen him in a while.” 

“I had a feeling. Do… do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not really, if I’m being honest,” she replied. “I… I’m sorry. I-“

“No, Rey, don’t apologize. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want. All you have to do is get me that pint of ice cream, and we’ll talk about something else. Sound good?” 

A wave of affection washed through Rey upon hearing him say that, and she took him up on that offer with a grateful smile. The next morning, after sleeping off her sugar coma from the night before, Rey made sure to leave Finn a message on the fridge in their magnet letters before heading out for the day. 

‘I have dinner with my Dad tonight. After, we drink and eat more tacos.


	14. Intruder, Alert!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unwanted house guest ends up inside of the house...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! Sorry it took so long for the update, I have no excuse. But what I do have is a certainty that everyone is going to LOVE this chapter. Myself and nicky_writes have been planning this chapter forever and I'm so happy to be writing it now
> 
> As always, y'all enjoy :))

Finn was looking forward to the weekend. 

It had been rough what with working overtime, having his parole officer coming over to poke and prod through his life at his new home, and having Rey's dad come over for a visit.

It's not like the man came over to see what Finn was like, he hadn't even known that Finn existed before he showed up. But that's sure how it ended up feeling. Once her dad was about to leave, Finn felt compelled to come out of his room to shake his hand, while Rey was wishing him a goodnight. Hopefully he would be able to say without saying that his daughter was in good hands. Like he had to prove to her dad that his intentions were nothing but noble. 

Well, at the time they were noble. While her dad was still in the house, however when she had come into his room that one morning where he was half asleep, and she was wearing a loose fitting shirt that fell effortlessly off of her shoulder, and a pair of tight sleep shorts, not so much.

Finn noticed that he had been thinking of that night a lot lately as he walked into the grocery store. He had been thinking about _Rey_ a lot lately, but would always end up pushing those thoughts of her aside. He couldn't risk popping the domestic bubble of bliss that he and Rey had been living in so comfortably just because he may or may not be developing feelings for his roommate. The other reason was because Rey didn't know about his past. He was sure that she wouldn't judge him because of it, but regardless, she still might be a bit  _surprised_ to say the least.

After he purchased his groceries which consisted of dental floss (he got food stuck in his teeth and was teased relentlessly by Rey after he realized he was out of floss and couldn't get the food out) and in-door plant fertilizer (Chewy and Yoda hadn't been doing so well lately for some unknown reason) he also had been thinking of her a lot lately due to the fact that her behavior seemed to be changing. She seemed to be a bit jumpy as of late, double and some times even triple checking to make sure that the doors and windows were locked. He had caught her doing that when we was bringing groceries home one day, and when he attempted to ask her about her sudden impulsiveness to check the locks, she quickly changed the subject.

She also seemed nervous every time he would leave the house. As he would approach the door or announce to her that he was about to leave, a look of worry would wash over her face, or she would ask him how long he would be gone or when he would be back.

Rey had lost her keys one day last week, and when Finn offered to help her look for them and ended up finding them, he found that she had a tiny container of pepper spray attached to them. He pretended he didn't notice when he handed her the keys back. But something in his gut was telling him that the reason why she was acting this way might have something to do with the bruises on her wrists he saw when he first met her.

He couldn't think of a reason why this had happened so suddenly, but as he began to ponder on the topic a while longer, he realized that something had changed. 

Her father.

Was  _he_ the reason why she was acting the way she was acting? Had he done something to her?

When Finn had met her father the man didn't seem unkind or cruel, but of course he had to remember looks could be deceiving. He also knew that as long as they were living together, and that as long as they were friends, he wouldn't let anything happen to her. But of course, as soon as the thought came, he could hear Poe's voice screaming in his head to stay out of her business, because not doing so is what got him in trouble. But he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to care for others, and Rey was his roommate and friend, so of course he was going to feel that way when it came to her. As Finn put his key in the key hole, the thought came booming back to him, as he felt his energy go from zero to one hundred.

Rey was standing in the living room area with a broom in her hand, and a fearful look on her face. Someone had broken in, and she was there all alone.

"Rey, what's wrong? What is it? Who..." he asked walking over to her. She had looked so scared, yet so relieved that Finn was home. Finn clenched his fists. Whoever had decided to come into _his_ house and mess with _his_ roommate was in for it.

Little did Finn know, that Rey wasn't fearful of 'someone' but more of 'something.'

A little mouse had scampered out of the corner near where they were both standing, causing both of them to shout.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Finn rushed towards Rey, grabbed her by the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and proceeded to run to his room.

"There's a mouse in the house!" he shouted before carrying her to his room. He sat her down before turning around to slam his bedroom door shut, and then lock it.

Rey came around from behind him, confused at what he was doing.

"What are you doing?!" she asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing!?" Finn said back.

"I'm locking the door!" he said.

"I can see that! But he's a rodent!! He hasn't got fingers!! He can't open the door even if it was unlocked!" Rey shouted back, trying but failing to hold in her laughter.

"Well...you never know!!" Finn said, stopping himself short of moving his dresser in front of the door, seeing as it could be perceived as _overreacting._

"Okay...well, um. I think were safe" he said as manly as he could, puffing out his chest, so that his roommate wouldn't see that he coward in fear over a little mouse.

"Ya think?" Rey said, finally allowing herself to laugh.

"But now that you've dragged me in her, I have no idea where to look for the mouse now. He could be anywhere" she said.

" _Dragged you in here?_ " Finn asked incredulously. "I saved your life!" he said.

"From a tiny little house mouse?" she said narrowing her eyes.

"Well if he's so tiny, go out there and get rid of him" Finn said.

Rey stood up from the bed and put her hands out in front of her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa let's not be too hasty! Now that your home, you go find him and get rid of him! You're the _guy_! You should be doing this anyway!" she said. 

"Oh no, no, no! Don't do that! Don't play the gender card on me! You found him, you go get him!" Finn said. 

Rey puckered out her bottom lip, and attempted as best as she could to butter up Finn to have him leave the safety of the room to go find the most. But he was unmoved by the attempt, no matter how adorable her face happened to look. He narrowed his eyes, folded his arms, and shook his head.

"Ugh" Rey groaned. "I'll rock, paper, scissor you for it?" she suggested.

"How about I call an exterminator, so neither one of us will have to go and find him?" Finn said.

"Great!" Rey said.

As Finn got on his phone to google nearby exterminators he began dialing the number. The man on the other line explained to him that he could come take care of the problem, but unfortunately he wouldn't be able to do so until tomorrow morning. 

"Great" Rey said again, yet this time with far less enthusiasm.

"Well..." Finn said looking around his room. "I guess we're stuck in here since we know this is the only place the mouse  _isn't"_ he said. 

"Ugh, I hope he doesn't go into my room!" Rey said. "My door is shut and everything but he can probably crawl underneath it. Come to think of it, that's probably how he got in the house in the first place."

With that being said, Finn's eyes grew to the size of moons. He proceeded to walk over to his dresser and pulled out a ratty old shirt to stuff underneath the bottom of the door.

"There we go" Finn stood up to look down and admire his handy work.

"That'll insure he doesn't blindside us" Finn said.

Rey shook her head and smiled at the ridiculousness of the situation. " _Blindside,_ us huh? He just a little mouse, not an assassin" she said laughing.

"Hey! That mouse is unwanted in this house! That makes him and intruder, and  _that_ makes him the enemy!" Finn said. 

"The  _enemy?"_ Rey said mock imitating Finn.

"Yeah! The enemy! And as the man of the house, it is my job to protect everyone, and everything in the house from enemies like him! That's probably what happened to the plants!! He's been eating Chewy and Yoda!  _Our babies!!"_ he shrieked at the realization.

"I failed with the kids, I won't fail with you!" Finn said pointing to her.

Rey narrowed her eyes as she looked up at Finn. "I thought you didn't want to play the gender card" she said smiling up at him.

Flustered that his words had betrayed him, Finn couldn't think of anything to reply to that to. He simply smirked down at her saying, "You know what? I don't have to explain myself to you" he said laughing.

Finn walked over to his closet to take off his jacket and shoes. He decided to change into some clean clothes while he was in there out of modesty since Rey couldn't go anywhere. After his clothes were back on, Finn began to feel an unfamiliar closeness sneak into the room. They had been close before, she'd practically fallen asleep on him on the couch the other night that they were watching a movie. But always in the living room. Never in his room and never in her room.

Rey must've sensed it too. Because when Finn came from out of the closet, he noticed that her ears had turned pink.

He made it up in his mind that for the rest of the time that they were stuck in his room, he was going to try to put her at ease. He was going to act around her like he normally would in the living room. He walked over to the small refrigerator in the corner of his room and opened it up.

"Want something to drink?" he asked her.

Rey approached Finn from behind to look over his shoulder and into the refrigerator.

"I didn't know you had this in your room" she said.

"Yeah well, food goes kind of fast at my parents house. I bought it and put it in my room when I stilled lived there, and now I guess it's just a force of habit" Finn said.

"Well, living with the snack-aholic that is your roommate, I'd say it was a wise investment to bring it here" Rey said smiling down at him.

"Yeah, and even though I never expected to be cowering in fear in my room with my roommate from a mouse, it came in pretty handy right now so we don't starve to death" Finn said.

Rey couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Finn, I don't think we'd starve to death in one day" she said to him as she shook her head at his dramticness.

Once both Finn and Rey had a vitamin water bottle in hand, Finn pulled out his laptop and went to his bed. Rey grabbed a bag of pretzels and joined him. He proceed to pull up Netflix, went to recently watched and selected Dexter season seven episode twelve. As the evening progressed Finn glanced over at Rey and smiled as he saw that the pinkness around her ears was gone, insinuating that she was becoming more comfortable.

They must've dozed off because the next thing Finn realized was knocking coming from the front door. Which meant that it must've been morning, which also meant that Rey stayed the night...in his room...in his bed.

Sure enough, as he looked down there she was. The laptop had been pushed to the bottom of the bed so she could slide closer to him. Her head rested on his shoulders, and both of her arms were wrapped snuggling around his one. She looked so cute when she slept, wiggling her nose and breathing in his ear. He wish he would've never called the exterminator who was unknowingly intruding upon a moment he never wanted to end.

He as carefully as he could, inched away from Rey who quickly snuggled closer him, which only made him want to stay there with her even more. But he knew he had to answer the door to let the exterminator in, and so that the knocking wouldn't wake her up.

He tried again and succeeded in getting loose from the snuggle monster that was his roommate, and went to go answer the door.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he opened the door to see the exterminator standing there.

"Mr...." the exterminator said. "...Calrissian, you call about a rat problem?" he asked.

Finn was about to confirm what the exterminator was there for, and also to tell him to do his job  _quietly_ because his roommate was still sleeping. But before he could even open his mouth, the little mouse scurried across the floor, passed Finn's feet, and out the door. The issue had resolved itself.

Finn looked up at the exterminator before saying, "Well, I guess it's not a problem anymore."

The exterminator nodded his head. "Take care then" he said, then walked back down the stairs. 

Finn shut the door a smiled to himself. He would forever be grateful to the little mouse that came and went. The mouse showed up, which made the night end the way it did, and then left as soon as it was over. Finn began thinking to himself, if the mouse was capable of creating a set-up, then that is why he came. He decided to himself that he wasn't going to push his feelings for Rey away any longer. It absolutely  _had_ to have been the world telling him to try his luck with Rey.

Domestic bliss, and his past be damned! He would tell her how he felt, and tell her about his past. Maybe she did feel the same way he felt about her, and it was all thanks to the little mouse.

It was in that moment, Finn felt bad about calling the mouse an enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Insert Dexter season 7 episode 12 joke here) hahaha I bet y'all were all thinking this was gonna be a serious chapter and what not cuz of the title and the summary! Gotcha!!! Hhahahaaha!! When nicky_writes and I were hanging out one day we just randomly thought up what if a mouse got in the house and it just went from there. I'm so happy this chapter is finally written and that it exists so other people can read it and hopefully find it as funny as we did.
> 
> Hope everybody enjoyed it. Please leave comments:))


	15. The Calrissian Hoard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Behold, the chapter that took forever to post! I'm so sorry for how long this took. I started a new job and life has been a little crazy! Hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait a little bit. Hahaha, The_Readers_Writer helped me a lot on this one! But totally in an upbuilding, encouraging way! She certainly didn't break into my home and hold my new bearded dragon hostage! And she certainly didn't threaten to harm me, my loved ones, or my property if I didn't upload it by tonight! Hahahahahaa.... I don't need HELP at all! I don't need HELP!

Rey stared at the phone as it lay innocently on her bed, chewing her lip as she pulled an oversized sweater on over her leggings. She knew that puting dinner off with her father wasn’t the mature or smart thing to do, but after spending the night in Finn’s bed, snuggling up to his warmth and feeling truly protected and safe for the first time in months, she had a lot to think about. A quiet night in was what she needed - not an awkward, mostly-silent dinner with her father as he made some odd, out-of-nowhere attempt to reconnect with her. 

Her phone buzzed, and she all but dove for it to read her father’s response to her request to have dinner the next day. 

“Sure, Rey. Is everything ok?” 

She breathed a sigh of relief and hastily tapped out her response. 

“Everything is fine! Just feeling a bit under the weather. Nothing that a relaxing evening in with a good book and some soup won’t fix.” 

She let the phone fall back onto her bed as she rested back against the pillows, allowing her eyes to close as she pulled her knees up to her chest. Behind her eyes, her thoughts were occupied by her roommate. 

He’d woken her up that morning with a gentle shake on her shoulder, whispering her name until she’d blinked up at him tiredly. 

“Rey? The mouse is gone. The, uh… the exterminator took care of it. Kinda.” 

“Kinda?” she all but yawned, sitting up slowly. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, she registered that Finn’s sheets smelled just like him, but she told herself that the deep breaths she was taking in through her nose were just her attempts at stifling another yawn. She wasn’t smelling his room. That...was weird. She would never do such a thing. 

“How did the exterminator only ‘kind of’ take care of-” 

“Well… As soon as I opened the front door, our little visitor just scurried out. Right past our feet,” Finn grinned sheepishly. 

A tired giggle escaped Rey’s lips, and it was surely just in her imagination that Finn’s gaze flickered down her lips and then back up to her eyes. And she also imagined the soft, affectionate shine that his gaze held as she slowly got up out of his bed. 

“It just figures,” she sighed, stretching her arms over her head. “In any case, I’m glad that our intruder is gone. Thanks for letting me spend the night in here, by the way.” 

“No problem. Can’t risk my roommate getting snatched up by any mouse assassins, now can I?” 

“No, you certainly can’t. I would haunt you for the rest of your life,” Rey vowed, walking through his door and towards the kitchen. 

As Rey and Finn had gone about making their breakfasts, she could have sworn that he seemed like he wanted to tell her something. She caught it in the way his eyes would linger on her, how his mouth would open only to shut after a few seconds of careful thought. Rey tried not to worry about it, but she had been on edge for the past several weeks. And with that anxiety had come some paranoia. What if she’d said something about Ben in her sleep? What if he was weirded out by how she had cuddled him the night before? 

Now, as she rested on her bed piled high with various pillows she’d gotten on an impulse-buy at Marshal’s, she tried to banish her worries from her mind. She was startled out of her attempt at relaxation, however, when a knock sounded at her door. 

“Come in,” she called out, sitting up as Finn entered her room, dressed in some faded, worn jeans and a dark green sweater she’d never seen him in before. 

“Hey, roomie, how’s it going?” 

“It’s going well.” 

“Still planning on spending the night in?” 

“Yes,” she answered, secretly hoping that he’d ask her to hang out with him. She didn’t care if he wanted to go see a movie or if he just wanted to sit around in their pj’s watching Dexter. She just wanted his company. 

“Well… I wanted to ask you if it would be ok if, uh… Look, you can say no and I’ll totally get it, but-” 

“Just ask me, Finn. I’m sure it’s not that bad.” 

“Would it be ok with you if my family came over tonight? My mom has been begging me to see the place for the past several weeks, and she asked if they could come over tonight for dinner. They’re loud, though, and there’s a lot of them, so if you wouldn’t feel comfortable-” 

“Finn? It would be totally, absolutely fine with me if your family came over this evening. Would you like me to leave so you all could have some privacy?” 

“No! No, not at all. Of course not. You’re welcome to hang out with us. Or to just stay in here if you don’t feel like being around people today. That’s cool too.” 

Rey smiled, finding it very endearing how Finn would stumble over his words while talking sometimes. It was so easy to get him flustered like that. She told herself that she shouldn’t be thinking about him like that. That it would only get her into trouble. But… Well, she knew that she was already in too deep to start fighting off the feelings she had for him. 

“I think I’ll spend most of the evening in here. But I would still love to meet them. If they’re anything like you, then they’ll be amazing,” she told him, blushing at the wide grin that spread over his features. 

“Shucks,” Finn laughed, looking down at his feet. A moment later, though, he turned his eyes back to her. “Hey, is your Dad still in town? He could join us-” 

“Oh, no, that...that won’t be necessary,” Rey interrupted. “We already agreed to have dinner later on this week.” 

“Oh. Well ok. That’s cool. Well they’ll be over here around 6. So… prepare yourself.” 

:”...Prepare myself? For a family dinner? Should I be concerned at all? Because you make it sound like it’ll be dangerous.” 

A wry smile came over Finn’s features. 

“My family is… Well. We put the “fun” in “dysfunctional”. Just ignore the craziness.” 

“I refuse to ignore it. If anything, I embrace craziness.” 

“Rey, I knew that as soon as I walked in on you pointing a broom at a mouse while standing on the sofa.” 

“...I don’t care for your sass.” 

After tossing a pillow half-heartedly towards her roommate, Rey watched as Finn dodged it, a wide grin on his face. 

“Hey! No need to throw things. I’ll leave you be without giving you any more “sass”. By the way, I hope you like lasagna. It’s the only thing I know how to make that’s big enough to feed the Calrissian hoard.” 

“I love lasagna.” 

“Perfect. I’ll leave you be, then.” 

With a wave, Finn walked away, closing the door behind him. Rey let herself fall backwards onto her pillows once more, her giddiness from her talk with Finn fading into nervousness. She would meet Finn’s family that night, and even though she was only his roommate, she still felt a strong need for them to like her. 

After a while of stewing in her bedroom, dwelling on all that could go wrong that evening, Rey heard the distinct sound of a knock at their front door. Getting up from her bed, she crept over to her closed door, pressing her ear against it. 

“Sis!” she heard Finn cry. A voice she didn’t recognize answered him, and the sound of footsteps could be heard as the two of them stepped further into the apartment. 

“Hey, Finnigan. So this is your new place, huh? It’s nice. I’m surprised you haven’t set it on fire yet.” 

“Oh, ha ha. That’s only because you haven’t come to visit yet.” 

“Hey! I’ve only caught something on fire a few times in life! And they were all unfortunate accidents due to me being in the wrong place at the wrong-” 

“Children, children,” a new, deep voice interrupted. Rey immediately knew that it belonged to Finn’s father. “Quite down.” 

“Hey, Dad. How’s it going?” 

“It’s going. You look good, son. Where’s your roommate?” 

Rey stepped back from the door, as if scared she’d been caught eavesdropping. Backing up, she turned back to her bed and quickly took a seat on it. She was suddenly overcome with nerves, terrified of what they’d think of her. She couldn’t go out there; Rey would just have to wait in her room until they left. Yes. That would- 

“Are you Finn’s girrrrlfriend?” 

Eyes snapping upwards, Rey watched as a young boy, no more than 4 or 5 years old, poked his head into her room, his tiny fingers still wrapped around the doorknob. Feeling her cheeks flush, Rey stood up, fingers nervously fiddling with the fabric of her shirt. 

“O-oh! H-hello, there. What’s your name?” Rey asked, a smile coming to her lips as he grinned up at her. 

“I’m Ezra, Finn’s brother. So you’re his girlfriend, right?” 

“What? Wh- No! No, Ezra, me and Finn are just-” 

Before Rey could properly form a defense for herself, Finn opened the door the rest of the way, a short, elegant woman standing behind him. 

“Ezra, I told you not to go into Rey’s room,” he scolded, picking Ezra up. 

“But, Finn! I wanted to meet your girlfriend. She’s so pretty-” 

“E-ezra!” 

Finn stared at his brother, eyes wide and cheeks turning darker at a rapid rate. Meanwhile, the woman behind him brought a hand up to her mouth, as if to cover the wide smile quickly spreading over her face. 

“Ezra, Rey isn’t my girlfriend. She’s-” 

“But you two live together! And she’s pretty and you talk about her a lot.” 

“O-ho-kay, Ezra. I think that’s enough,” Finn laughed, looking up at Rey with an embarrassed smile. “I...can’t apologize enough.” 

“Yes,” the woman spoke up, stepping around him. “I’m sorry about my youngest son. He’s very blunt, as only young children can be.”

Rey laughed softly, shaking her head. 

 

“No, please don’t apologize. I don’t mind, I promise,” Rey assured who she now knew to be Finn’s adoptive mother. “I’m Rey, by the way. You must be Finn’s mum. It’s so nice to meet you.” 

The butterflies and nerves Rey’d been experiencing fluttered away as soon as she saw the bright smile she received from Finn’s mom. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, too, dear. Now, I understand that Finn has made lasagna, and since it’s my recipe, I know that it’s amazing. Why don’t you come eat with us?” 

Rey didn’t hesitate to nod her head, sharing a smile with her roommate as she followed him out into the living room. Out there waiting for them were three girls and Finn’s father, and Rey suddenly found all pairs of eyes belonging to the Calrissian household trained upon her. 

“So this is Rey?” a young woman with vitiligo, blue hair, and bright lipstick asked, and Rey recognized her voice as the first one she’d heard earlier. She watched as she stood up and walked over to her, holding out her hand. “I’m Ahsoka. You guys have been using my Netflix account.” 

“Oh! Right. Thanks for that,” Rey laughed, taking her hand in hers and shaking it firmly. “It’s so nice to meet you.” 

“Well aren’t you just a pretty little peach,” Finn’s dad grinned, causing Rey to look down at her feet self-consciously. 

“Dad,” Finn groaned. “Please, I beg you, please… Don’t be weird.” 

“Yes, Lando, don’t scare the poor girl away. Finn would never forgive us,” Finn’s mom chided, walking over and handing Ezra to his father. 

“C’mon, Qi’ra, I’m not scary. Right, Rey? I’m not gonna scare you away, am I?” 

“It takes a lot more than that to scare me, Mr. Calrissian,” Rey replied mischievously. 

“Oh, what, like a mouse?” Finn retorted, earning a shove from his roomie. 

“A mouse?” Lando asked, arching an eyebrow. “Now this is a story I have to hear.” 

“Well, you’ll hear it over dinner. I’m just about to make plates,” Finn said, wandering into the kitchen. At the mention of dinner, a young blonde girl, no older than 10, popped up and followed Finn closely. 

“Vaylin is hungry. She just got out of a long band practice, you see,” Qi’ra explained, her eyes watching her youngest daughter fondly. 

“I just got done with hockey practice,” the middle daughter, who looked to be around 13, grumbled. “But you don’t see me chasing Finn around.” 

“Asajj, be nice,” Lando chastised. 

After everyone received their plates, the family spread out over the living and dining room spaces, with Rey on the couch with Ahsoka and Lando, swapping stories about their childhoods and Finn. In the corner near the dining room, Finn and Qi’ra were talking in hushed tones with one another. Whatever it was that they were discussing, it was clearly leaving him flustered, and Rey almost laughed out loud when her eyes met his and he quickly looked away. 

The rest of the evening went by quickly, and Rey was pleasantly surprised at how well she got along with Finn’s family. They were all pretty laid back, even the children. Well, except for Asajj. It seemed like she had a snarky comment about everything. But even in her own course, prickly way, she was endearing, and by the end of the evening she’d even given Rey one of her rare, honest smiles. 

All too soon, Lando looked down at his watch and then back down to Ezra, who looked as if he was on the verge of falling asleep in his lap. 

“Well, the little ones are getting sleepy. I think it’s time we head out,” he announced. 

“I’m not sleepy!” Vaylin complained, though her comment was not as convincing as it might have been had she not been leaning heavily into her mother’s arms. 

“Of course not. But you will be once we get in the car,” Qi’ra chuckled. “I’d say it’s time we head home.” 

Standing up, Rey followed them towards the door, saying her goodbyes to each of them. 

“I still think you’re dating my brother,” Ezra whispered to her as she gave him a hug. Blush once more creeping across her cheeks, she simply laughed him off, missing the pointed look Qi’ra sent Finn’s way. 

“Use my knowledge,” she heard Finn’s mom whisper to him as she pulled him into a hug. “I beg you!” 

“Ooohh-kay, Mom, yeah. I love you too,” Finn stuttered, ushering his mother towards the door. 

“Goodbye, Rey! We’ll be seeing you very soon, I’m sure,” Qi’ra said. Feeling as if she’d missed some part of an unspoken conversation, Rey nodded and waved as Finn closed the door as the last of his family walked out. 

Turning to Finn, Rey tilted her head, eyebrows arched in confusion. 

“What was that about?” 

“What? Oh, Mom? That, uh, that was nothing. Don’t even worry about it. Uh… Help me do the dishes?” 

Rey didn’t get a chance to answer before Finn rushed to the kitchen, picking up stray plates and glasses along the way. Shrugging, Rey sauntered into the kitchen, only to pause in the doorway and look at a message Ezra had no doubt left for them on the fridge with their letter magnets. 

‘Finn luvs Rey’


	16. The Feelings That Live Inside Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! Here is the next chapter in our beloved story. NO, it is not on hiatus or forgotten as we have been getting asked a lot here recently. (We would never do that to y'all) It's just my turn (TRW) to update the chapter, and I'm being a lazy bones, and am also sick. But I'm not going to let that stop me!!! So without further ado, and as always, please enjoy :))

Finn couldn't bring himself to wake her. But at the same time, he couldn't just stand over her the whole morning watching her like some kind of creep.

So he carefully sat down on the edge she laid closest to and gently shook her shoulder. When her eyelids slowly lifted open, he found himself unable to look away. Of course Rey had beautiful eyes, not that he had ever stared at them or anything, but to know that he was the very first thing that she looked at when she opened those big hazel beauties, took his breath away.

But still remembering that he couldn't just stare at her all day long without her feeling weirded out about it, he spoke up informing her that their 'houseguest' was gone.

Later on in the day when he had informed her that his family would be coming over for dinner, he found himself unable to look away from her gaze again. It made him blush when she had said that if his family was anything like him, then that she was sure that they would be 'amazing.'

He was pulled from his thoughts of Rey when he heard a knock on the front door. 

Finn walked from the kitchen, after checking on the lasagna for the one millionth time (if he burned it his mom would never let him live it down) to open the door. 

"Finnigan!" Ahsoka cried as the door swung open. 

Finn smiled looking down at his younger sister before picking her up and hugging her.

"So this is your new place, huh? I'm surprised you haven't set it on fire yet" Ahsoka said.

Finn rolled his eyes at her teasing joke, as they exchanged a few more quips back a forward before the rest of the family walked in behind her. 

"What did I hear about a fire, son" Finn's mother Qi'ra asked as she walked in. 

"Mom I just checked on the lasagna, there will be absolutely  _no_ fire here tonight. Big mouth over here is just being crazy as usual" he said bumping shoulders with Ahsoka as she quickly bumped him back before there mom saw what they were doing and told them to stop.

"Nice digs son" Finn's dad Lando said. 

"Thanks dad" he said smiling. "How about a quick tour everybody?" he asked.

As Finn gave everyone the grand tour of his new place, he felt a small jolt of pride run through him. He was happy to see that his family, especially so his parents, seemed pleased with his new living conditions. Knowing that they approved of his new home in spite of his circumstances in the past, filled him with joy to say the least. 

Walking into his own room, once again proud in how clean he kept it, lest he hear his mother informing him that she did not raise him to be a pig who lives in filth, Finn noticed that his little brother Ezra, was missing. He walked behind his two younger sisters Asajj and Vaylin who were bickering about something, when he saw that Rey's door was open.

Ezra's curiosity must've gotten the best of him, seeing as how it was the only door that Finn hadn't opened. As he approached Ezra about to inform him that it's not nice to go into other peoples rooms without knocking, he heard a question Ezra asked Rey that made his heart leap into his throat.

Finn's family sure didn't pull any punches like he had hoped that they would when they met Rey.

_Are you Finn's girlfriend?_

_Hi, you guys have been using my Netflix account._

_Well aren't you just a pretty little peach_

Finn had half a mind to shoo all of them out right then and there, just forget about dinner and everything. They had seen the house, they had came over and met his roommate and embarrassed him to no ends in front of her. But Rey seemed endeared by the whole thing, conversation and all.

As the evening went on, things seemed to be going just fine. At first, Finn worried that Rey would feel uncomfortable around so many people, being as how she was shy by nature and didn't have a big family, so he figured she might not be used to this. But as time went on, he saw that she fit in with everyone just fine. Even with Asajj, who didn't like...well anyone. It's why their parents suggest she take up hockey to channel her 'extra energy.' But before the night was over, Finn caught that Rey had said something to Rey that made Asajj genuinely smile.

Finn's eyes lingered on Rey a second longer, smiling at her, at whatever he had said to his sister, at the whole situation and how natural and normal it felt. And then, just like this morning, he realized that if she caught him staring at her, that she would more than likely be weirded out. 

Too late.

Rey glanced up, directly at Finn. Almost sensing that his eyes were on her, before he quickly looked away, but still knowing that he had been caught.

As everyone else had desert, and talked and had a good time, Finn decided to start on the dishes. He began loading the dishwasher when he saw that his mother was making her way over towards him. Finn rolled his eyes knowing exactly where this was going. 

"Mom, I promised I've got it all under control in here, you go and relax" he said.

She said nothing only taking the dish towel that was rested on his shoulder.

"So" she began to say. Finn caught it immediately that she was talking in a lower tone, much lower than her usual one. Which implied that whatever she was about to say, was for his ears only.

Was dinner not good?

Was he talking too much? Too little?

Maybe she wanted to talk about the last time his parole officer talked to him, like how she always does. But no. What came out of his mother's mouth next, shocked him.

"She's cute" she said plain and simply.

Finn quickly glanced over his shoulder at Rey, who was listening to Ezra singing his ABC's.

"Who?" he asked looking back at the dish in his hand.

His mother scoffed. "Oh come now son, don't be coy with me" she said. 

Finn said nothing, as he continued to scrape off the left over residue of the lasagna from the plate he was holding.

"I think she likes you too" she said softly.

Finn dropped the dish in the sink, splashing the both of them with dish water.

"Ooops" Finn said, trying to regain some composure in front of his mother. But it was too late. She knew, she had probably known the moment she walked in, so he decided not to beat around the bush.

"Do...do you really think so?" he asked carefully, almost worried what her answer would be.

"Of course. Just like the way you steal glances at her when you think she's not looking, she does the same to you. And if you haven't noticed son, she's been flushed this entire evening" Qi'ra said. 

Finn and his mother continued to talk back and forth to one another. Finn informing his mother about his worries and insecurities about  _if_ he did ask Rey out, that eventually he would have to tell her the truth about his past, and he wondered how she would feel about that. 

"You know, your father said the same thing when he asked me out" Qi'ra said.

"He did?" Finn asked.

"Well I found out much later on, but he was worried what I would think knowing that he had a child from a previous relationship. He was worried that I wouldn't like you, or you wouldn't like me, but you the only way we'll end up knowing things is if we try. Try son. Ask her out, your mother knows these things" she said.

Finn smiled down at his mom as they continued to do the dishes in silence. 

Right as everyone was getting ready to leave, just as Qi'ra leaned in to give Finn a hug and a kiss, she said quite loudly and in front of Rey, "Use my knowledge, I beg you" she said, referring to the conversation they were having earlier. 

"What was that about?" Rey asked once they were alone.

Finn tried to brush it off, but found himself flustered the rest of the evening. 

Whenever his parents told him to do something, he knew it was always to his benefit. That it would better him as a person. He wanted to ask Rey out and even his parents thought it was a good idea, so what was stopping him?

The next day, Finn figured he was going to work up his courage and finally ask Rey out. Just as he was about to knock on her door, his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out to reveal that it was Poe. 

His text message informed him that he had gotten the promotion at his job that he had been dying to get, and that they were all going out celebrating. He wanted to celebrate with his friend, but figured if he didn't ask Rey out right then and there, that he would loose his nerve. So he told Poe that he and Rey had plans already.

_{2:37 p.m} PoeBoi: Heck! Bring her too!! been dying to meet the gloomie roomie lol ;)_

Finn rolled his eyes, knowing that Poe wasn't going to let it go.

_{2:38 p.m} BIGDEAL: alrite ill ask...and dnt call her that_

Finn gulped as he knocked on Rey's door. He told her what was to happen tonight, and she informed him that she would be delighted to go, and to meet his friends.

As they got ready, and headed out to the bar, Finn began to smile at himself thinking that this was how he ended up asking Rey out. But quickly felt his gut twist as he really hadn't asked her 'out-out' right now she was just accompanying him to his buddies celebration, because that's what it was.

Poe, Jessika, and a few of their other friends all took to Rey immediately, as he knew they would. But as he had feared the other night, he began to pick up on her little quirks that indicated that she was getting nervous. 

Her telltale signs were as followed: 

Clenching and unclenching her fists.

Tapping her left foot.

Pursing her lips in between conversation.

And finally, physically moving herself behind Finn.

He thought that everything would end up being alright after she had a drink or two, but quickly realized that Rey was a cheap drunk. All they had ever had together was beer, as Rey was now doing shots of who knows what.

Finn knew she was a little bit more than tipsy when she volunteered to get up on stage and do a karaoke song. But he was pleasantly surprised, unaware that Rey had a spectacular singing voice.

"Hey buddy, I think I better get the roomie home" Finn said to Poe, who was just as, if not more tipsy than Rey was.

"Noproblembuddy…" Poe said as he burped in Finn's face. He saw that Jessika had rolled her eyes behind Poe, probably ready to get him home too.

As Finn and Rey drove home, Rey kept on serenading Finn with the song she had chosen to sing up on stage. Once they were out of the car, Finn decided that it would probably be for the best to pick Rey up, and take her upstairs, otherwise she would've tried to keep on catching the lightning bugs that were out and about.

 _"Toniiiiiiiiiiiight, we are young!! So let's set the world on fiiiiire! We can burn briiiiighter, than the suuuuuuuuuuuun"_ Rey sang a bit off key.

" _So if by the time the bar closes...and you" *hiccup* "and you feel like falling down....I'll carry you home...tonight."_ she sang.

Finn was unsure if she was going to start over or not again. But the next thing she ended up saying was, "Hey, you're carrying  _me_ home tonight" she said before bursting out laughing. 

Finn found himself laughing as well as he opened the door making his way to Rey's room. Finn sat her down on her bed before taking her shoes off. Rey immediately curled up into herself, suddenly realizing how tired she was, still humming the tune of the song she was singing. 

As Finn turned to leave, he reached down and pulled the blanket up all around her, before she less than gracefully reached up to caress his face. Thanking him and wishing him a good night.

The next day, Finn knew that his courage in the situation in asking Rey out was dwindling. 

When she finally did wake up, he expected her to be a bit hungover, but she seemed fine, and in a good mood, and in the right state of mind. She smiled at him as her Pop-Tarts popped out of the toaster as she made her way over to the couch. 

 _"Buck up man! It's now or never!!"_ Finn thought to himself.

"Rey" he asked, upset at himself for his voice cracking from nerves.

"Yes?" she answered not looking at him, but at the TV in front of her.

"I was wondering...um, maybe...we could have dinner, tonight?" he felt a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders as he finally verbalized out loud what had been ebbing away at him for so long.

He heard her giggle, "Finn we have dinner every night" she said as she continued to flip through the channels.

Finn wanted to kick himself. Of course they had dinner every night!! Why didn't he specify the question!! He should have been more specific.

But before Finn could correct her thinking, it dawned on her first.

She slowly turned around, the chain hanging from her glasses swinging back and forth with her movement. Her mouth open a bit, and her brow furrowed. He couldn't read her, he had no idea what she was thinking. So he stood there, anxiously, waiting for her answer.

"You mean...you, and me...and...." she gestured in between the two of them to emphasize her point.

Finn nodded nervously. "I...I had wanted to ask for a while now, but kept loosing my nerve, but if you would, like to...you don't have to if you don't want to of course, but if you did want to..." Finn was unable to continue his stammering when a huge smile cracked Rey's face in half.

"I would love to Finn" she said softly. 

"Really!?" Finn exclaimed.

He was so happy that she agreed that the stammering started up all over again.

"That's great! That's so great! We can go anywhere you want! Anywhere!" he said. 

Finn was on top of the world in that moment. He had finally asked and she had agreed to go on an official 'date' with him. As Finn was ironing his clothes for that evening, he figured nothing, and he meant absolutely nothing could bring him down from the high he was feeling...except, maybe if he got to kiss Rey later on tonight, granted that their date went okay.

Unfortunately, something did.

"Finn!" Rey shouted from her bedroom.

Finn could hear the panic in her voice, and rushed right over.

"I hate to do this, but we...we have to cancel our plans tonight. I...I have a personal matter to attend to" she said, not looking at him.

All of the joy drained out of his body as Rey announced that she had to leave, and wouldn't be joining him for dinner tonight.

"That's fine" he tried to assure her as much as he did himself. "I hope everything ends up being okay" he told her.

As Rey rushed off, Finn sat down on their couch feeling absolutely defeated. He sighed knowing that tonight would've been perfect if they had managed to go out and enjoy their evening together. But here he was, sitting alone in their home, without his roommate there with him.

Finn decided that he couldn't stay in the house. Everywhere he turned he was reminded of Rey, and the fact that they weren't having their first date together. So he called up his boss and asked if there was any overtime available. Fortunately his boss said yes, as one of his fellow employees had called in sick.

Finn walked into the hospital with his hands in his pockets and his head low. He collected his necessary cleaning supplies before picking up the clipboard with the list of rooms that needed to be cleaned. Room 206, 207, 315, and the hallway on the eighth floor. Trauma floor normally was very messy in the hallway.

As he made his way up to the eighth floor, bleaching and cleansing and scrubbing every square inch, he made his way further and further down the hallway. This hard work was exactly what he needed to take his mind off of Rey.

After he was all finished he made his way to the first floor to put his cleaning supplies away. He was walking past a room with an open door that made him do a double take. He looked inside the room and smiled when he saw Rey inside. She had indeed been truthful when she told him she had personal matters to attend to. But as soon as his smile came, it went when he saw who she was in the room with.

Ben Solo. 

Ben Solo, as in the reason why he had gone to jail.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a loooooooooong chapter, and I hope y'all don't get bored reading it, but myself and Nicky_Writes agreed that we had to lay a lot of things down in this chapter. What had happened between finn and his mother in the previous chapter included.
> 
> but I hope it was enjoyed, and you can leave a comment if you wish:))


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